Into The Woods
by syrraki
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke were once something close to friends. Ten years later, watch as Naruto struggles for a future, Sasuke discovers the truth about his past and two lives entangle irreversibly.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Hi. This story will hopefully update every week but probably more often than that to begin with. It touches a lot of genres, though I've selected two main. Furthermore, this is a long story. A long story.. Rest assured, it will be completed. p.s. fail!summary is fail. Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.  
Also, this story takes place in a fictional country which bears a lot of resemblance to America but is _not_.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

Sunshine streamed through the window, painting bright yellow rectangles on the classroom floor and folding over the desks, leaving soft shadows where it was blocked. Through an open window, the sounds of summertime carried through, along with a tempting breeze and the smell of freshly mown grass.

The room had an empty feel to it, its desks lined in neat rows facing the board at the front and its only occupant sitting next to the window, gazing out. He didn't see the blue sky or lush trees with their branches waving softly in the wind, or the playground below where a group of boys chased a football around, with bags used as goal posts and no referee. Instead he scrutinised his reflection, almost transparent in the glass. His hair was dark and stuck up at the back, and despite it being high summer, his skin was pale. He scowled at the roundness of his face, he still looked like a child, despite being in the first year of high school. His brother was six years older than him, about to finish school, and _he_ looked like an adult. He was also tall, smart, athletic and charming. In contrast, although the younger brother was talented, he was not labelled 'genius' but merely 'smart for his age'. He didn't want to be 'smart for his age', it should be a given that he was smarter than the idiots in his class. He wanted to be taken seriously, by his brother, by his parents, by everyone.

A noise from the otherwise silent hallway shook him out of his reverie and he looked away from the window, focusing on the paper laying on his desk. It was a maths test that their teacher had just returned, nothing of consequence, just to assess their progress. His paper had a red A at the top, and a smiley face, accompanied by a note to check his units in the last question. The A should have been an A+,the smiley face was just patronising, and the note was absolutely sickeningly correct. He had gone through his brother's old notes in preparation for this year, and in not one of them had he found a note to check his units. His brother never forgot to check his units. He never forgot anything, it seemed.

The boy scowled once more at the paper, tensing his fists as though tempted to crumple it into a ball and throw it away, before reaching into his backpack and pulling out a textbook. Next time, he thought as he opened it, he would be prepared. Next time his units would be perfect, he would get an A+,the teacher would be too awed to put a smiley face, and his brother would pat him on the head and say: "Well done, Sasuke."

No,he wouldn't pat him on the head, he would view him as the adult he was and give him a subtle smile. And his father would be proud, and his mother would boast to her friends at dinner parties: "Sasuke's really improved, he's going to outshine his brother one of these days." Yes, he thought, propping his chin on his hand and beginning to read, next time it would be better.

"But it wasn't my fault!"

"Now Naruto, there's really no point denying it." The school teacher's usually kindly face was pulled into harsh lines by his frown as he berated the boy in front of him, who scowled, shoving one hand into his pocket and rubbing at his cheek with the other, unintentionally smudging a little mud on it. His right cheek was swollen and red, and the skin on his knuckles was broken, slightly crusted with blood.

"He started it!" Naruto insisted, looking up at his teacher beseechingly, who tried to ignore both the imploring look and the grass his student had in his hair. He liked Naruto, truly he did, the boy was loud, but he was cheerful and honest. Despite this, he couldn't let the boy get away with brawling in the playground. He'd like to say it was the summer heat making everyone's blood boil, but Naruto managed to get in fights all year round.

"I'm sure he will be punished accordingly, in the meantime, why don't you cool off inside?"

Naruto peered up, blue eyes slightly hidden by his mop of spiky hair, trying to discern if his teacher was angry with him. Detecting no anger in the eyes, only resignation, patience and the slightest hint of disappointment, he gave a sigh and nodded.

"Alright Mr Umino..."

Watching his student trail out of the heat and into the shadowy hallway, the teacher shook his head sadly. The one thing he hated about being a teacher was seeing kids unhappy, and see them he did. For every child that went through the education system with a smile, there were dozens for whom even ten years later, the memory of high school would cause shivers of terror. But he had faith; Naruto was a fighter and would find his place eventually. Lord knew the child had experienced enough problems in his life. If anyone deserved a happy ending, it was him.

The hallways were mostly empty, it was lunchtime for almost everyone, ditching at this time of year was an all-time high, and anyone in the building had been lulled into a soporific daze by the heat and the calm. Naruto stopped at a water fountain to take a drink, enjoying the quiet more than he thought he would. Normally he got bored quickly, but today it felt okay. It was calming, not stifling. Straightening from the fountain, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and adjusted his backpack, happy that his tongue no longer stuck to the roof of his mouth, and carried on walking.

He briefly considered going to the library, but decided there was absolutely no point. Firstly, the last thing he wanted to do on a sunny day like this was be cooped up in a room full of textbooks, having the librarian stare through her glasses at him everytime he breathed too loudly. Secondly he didn't have anything to study _for_. He was only in his first year of high school after all, and they had just had their latest maths test back. He had managed a B- which he was extremely pleased with, considering studying was always a problem. He was living in a children's home which although not as dire as an orphanage, meant that there were always little kids running around and it was almost impossible to get any quiet studying done. Most of the time, however, Naruto was one of the kids that were running around, but since when he didn't study, he had a tendency to fail tests, he had flicked through his notes a few times in preparation.

He was lucky, really, he thought as he neared the classroom. He had to share a room, but with his best friend Haku, so it wasn't a problem. Haku was an orphan too, like Naruto, but unlike Naruto he was always in and out of foster care. Haku was very quiet and tidy, and he had a kind heart, so families who couldn't have their own children often considered adopting him, especially when he was younger. However Haku was also very loyal, and refused to leave Naruto permanently, so after enjoying a few weeks away from the home, he would tell his social worker that he wanted to go back. As he grew up and time went on, fewer people were willing to foster a child that had foiled so many attempts at parenting, and so he and Naruto had taken up permanent residence at the children's home. They didn't like it particularly, the adults in charge were not kind, and they could be cold and hurtful in times of anger. The two boys often dreamt of leaving and had gone as far as to set up a runaway fund (kept in a shoebox under Haku's bed) although so far they hadn't saved much and the runaway fund kept turning into the ice-cream and chocolate fund. If Haku had been there, he would have stopped Naruto from getting into a fight, but Haku had been moved up a year and so took completely different classes. It was too bad, Naruto thought, since he could have done with having his best friend in his class.

Pushing open the classroom door, Naruto took five steps inside and dropped his bag on his desk before realising that there was someone else in the room. Next to the window studiously looking at his textbook was Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto didn't talk to Sasuke much, or at all, since the other boy didn't talk unless it was absolutely necessary. There was something about Sasuke that was a bit different to the other boys in the class, and it usually caused Naruto to keep his distance, but today there was no one else, so...

"Hey," he called casually, leaving his bag and weaving through the desks to lean against the one opposite Sasuke. "Whatchya studying?"

Sasuke glanced up at the greeting, his brow furrowing slightly as Naruto approached. He flipped the cover of the book up to demonstrate before returning to the text.

"Urgh, maths," Naruto said, making a face. "Boring. Why aren't you outside?" Naruto perched on the desk in front, bringing one knee up to rest his chin on and swinging the free leg so his heel tapped against the desk leg. "Hey," he said, a thought occurring to him as he took in Sasuke's pale appearance. "Are you an albino?" Sasuke paused in his reading and frowned, looking up at the other boy. He suspected a joke, but saw only earnest curiosity in Naruto's expression.

"Of course I'm not, I have dark hair," Sasuke pointed out. He hadn't really spoken to Naruto during the year, he was the loud, irritating kind of person that Sasuke normally avoided. "Why would you think that?"

"You look like this rabbit in this nature show I saw on TV. It was really pale, like whoa, it was crazy white. Like a weird ghost-rabbit," Naruto enthused, dropping his knee and waving his hands about. Sasuke considered commenting on being compared to a rabbit, but decided not to.

"I'm not that pale," he said flatly, a slight frown wrinkling his forehead. Naruto blinked at him, before looking serious.

"You are pretty pale," he confirmed, but then brightened. "Don't worry, if you're not an albino you can go outside and you'll get all tanned like me!" He put out an arm, skin exposed by the short sleeve T-shirt he was wearing and leaned forward to hold it along side Sasuke, the contrast making the other boy's skin seem paler than ever.

"I don't want to go outside, I'm busy," Sasuke snapped, pulling his arm back and refocusing on his textbook. His brother probably never got distracted like this, it was all the idiot's fault. "And _you're_ annoying." He shot Naruto a glare, but it went unnoticed as the blond boy stared out of the window before looking back at Sasuke's book with visible distaste.

"If you're going to stay inside, don't study _maths_," he advised with a shudder. "Hey, wanna know a secret?" His eyes lit up with the sudden thought and he leaned in, cupping his hand around his mouth as if he was trying to not be overheard. "Mr Umino's gonna set us a nature project for biology!" Naruto divulged.

"Really?" asked Sasuke, sceptical but closing his book anyway. "How do you know?"

"He told me," Naruto boasted lightly, leaned away again and swinging his legs. "I know him outside of school, sometimes he takes me out. He said that we're going to do a big nature project in pairs on whatever we like, and the mark will count for our grade."

At the mention of his grade, Sasuke's thoughts slid into focus. His parents always seemed disappointed at his report card, no matter how many good marks he got, his parents' eyes were always drawn to the few average marks he'd garnered. Any positive comments were overlooked in favour of brooding over the suggestions for improvement. All year Sasuke had been working as hard as possible on anything that would count towards his overall grade, and if what Naruto was saying was true, he needed to score well on this project. Unfortunately, as Naruto had noticed from his complexion, Sasuke didn't like going outdoors unless necessary. Outdoors was messy and noisy and uncontrollable. A lot like Naruto, now he thought of it.

"-this butterfly that was _massive_, but then I thought I would do it on bats, because bats are like, whoa scary! And I could compare them to vampires or something which'd be mega cool," Naruto was rambling, ignoring Sasuke's inattention.

"Naruto," Sasuke interrupted, causing the other boy to trail to a halt, halfway through miming a vampire biting into its victim. "What are you doing your project on?"

"Foxes," Naruto answered promptly. "There's tonnes of them living in the woods near the home. Like, a family of them. A litter or a den or, I dunno. It's a pack of dogs and a shoal of fish, but what is it for foxes? A team? I don't think that's it... Anyway I'm going to track 'em and take pictures with this really cool camera I have, and then-"

"Naruto," Sasuke cut him off again. Naruto stopped and looked up enquiringly, without a trace of irritation, as though he had expected to be interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"Want to be partners?" Sasuke tried to say it like he imagined his father must say to his business associates. Naruto's eyes lit up and his smile, which had disappeared temporarily, reappeared so wide that his eyes narrowed into chinks of blue.

"Sure! You like foxes?"

"They're okay."

"Awesome!"

True to what Naruto had said, when the class sat down for biology their teacher beamed at them from the front of the class and told them he had an announcement.

"From today, until the end of term, we're going to be working on a nature project," he told them. Naruto and Sasuke shot each other secretive smiles across the lab table while the others in the class reacted to the news. Some were pleased, some groaned, and some had been daydreaming and had to ask their friends what the teacher had said. "Alright," said Mr Umino, raising his voice a little to quiet the class. "Please get into the pairs you would like to work in and decide a topic. You will need to present your topic to the class in the last week of term and should use your class time and homework time until then to prepare." The last few words were drowned out as students turned to each other, leaned across table and called across classroom, trying to guarantee they would work with their friends. Sasuke and Naruto were feeling decidedly smug, having not only paired up already, but also decided their topic. They were ahead of schedule, which Sasuke liked, and Naruto had a partner, which Naruto liked. A few girls cast longing gazes in the direction of Sasuke, but they were ignored as he and Naruto started to discuss.

"Okay," started Sasuke, getting out a sheet of A4 paper and his fountain pen. "We should plan. What do you want to put in the project?"

"I figure we should put in all the normal stuff, like habi-hati- the place where they live, and the stuff they eat, and what they look like, and then we could get some like, information on foxes all over the world, cause I saw this thing with this fox that lived in the arctic and it was all white-"

"Are you sure it wasn't an albino fox?"

Naruto stuck his tongue out, causing Sasuke to hide a smirk behind his hand.

"Yeah I'm sure, jerk. It was like a polar bear or something, but a fox!"

"I think I've heard of that," Sasuke conceded. "We can go to the town library to research."

"Okay," Naruto agreed with a shrug. "But I think we should do like, a photo report of our tracking the foxes, that way ours will totally be the best," he said with an affirming nod.

"Good idea," Sasuke commented, jotting it all downin neat, spidery handwriting. "How do you want to present it?"

"Uh, I dunno," Naruto said, scratching his ear. "I didn't really think about that." Sasuke smiled a little, they really were a good team, while Naruto was full of ideas and energy, he, Sasuke, thought of all the specifics and organisation.

"I think we should do it on the computer and then we can present it on the whiteboard," Sasuke proposed. "I have a computer in my room so that should be fine, and we can scan and print off whatever we need."

"Cool," agreed Naruto, putting his hand up for a high five. Sasuke blinked at it, then when it didn't move, uncertainly raised his hand and tapped it lightly. "No, dude. You're doing it wrong," Naruto said. "Here, put your hand up again." Sasuke did so, feeling ridiculous. "Like this." Naruto slapped his hand across, making a loud clapping sound. Sasuke snatched his hand back, glaring.

"That hurt!" he said, elbowing Naruto in the ribs. Naruto winced before quickly recovering.

"You must have done it wrong," he said. "Put your hand up again."

"No," refused Sasuke, instead picking up his pen again. "Let's get back to planning the project. How long is it going to be?"

"Really long! Like, super long! Maybe as long as a book! A short book? We could...."

The children's home that Naruto lived in was situated in the suburbs, far from the concrete urbanity of the inner city where Naruto and Sasuke attended school. It was at the end of a road where the houses backed onto open fields and then into the woods, where on sunny days the caretakers could be persuaded to take the children to play. The house was large with seven bedrooms, five of which were shared by children on a transient to permanent basis, and the others for the carers.

When Naruto arrived home, the first thing he did after toeing off his shoes and calling out "I'm home!" to whoever might be hearing, was run up the stairs, narrowly avoiding an uneaten jam sandwich that was decomposing on the bottom step, and a small child drawing on the wall.

"Hey Inari," he said, patting the boy on the head, winning himself a glare, before carrying on past the first floor and to the second, where his room was. From below, he heard people moving and the harried voice of one of the female supervisors scolding the child, and the beginnings of an argument. He ignored it and carried on up, there was always something going on in the house, it was never quiet.

The room he shared with Haku was at the top of the house, and it was decorated in orange because Naruto loved orange and Haku hadn't minded. The two of them had been friends since Naruto was four, when Haku arrived at the house. It had been a sunny day and Naruto had been in the garden, playing in a sandpit. Haku had silently sat down next to him and helped build a sandcastle. When they were finished, Haku found a leaf still attached to a twig and stuck it in the top like a flag.

"You have a nice face," Naruto had said, giving him a wide smile.

"Thank you," Haku had said. "I'm Haku, let's be friends."

And just like that, they had been. Haku had asked to share a room with Naruto, they had attended the same school, playing video games with each other, built forts in the woods and formed a solid friendship that had held through the years.

Their bedroom door had a yellowing piece of paper Blu-takked to it, announcing it to be "Naruto and Haku's Room" in blocky felt tip. Naruto pushed the door open and entered, dumping his bag on his bed and flopping down next to it. Opposite him, Haku was sitting cross-legged on his bed, scribbling in his diary.

"Hey," Naruto called. "When did you get home?" He sniffed at his tee-shirt to decide whether or not he should change, but decided not to. Haku finished a sentence and dotted an 'i' before closing his diary and putting it to the side to face Naruto.

"A while ago," Haku said with a smile. "Good day?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Naruto, pausing in rummaging in his bag. "I got in a fight at lunch, but then I started talking to this boy, you know Sasuke Uchiha? And we decided we're going to do our nature project together!"

"Sasuke Uchiha?" Haku asked, tilting his head to the side so that his shoulder length hair tipped. He tapped a finger against his lips thoughtfully. "Oh yes, the quiet one with dark hair?" Naruto nodded. "I thought you didn't like him." Naruto took out his planner, dropping the rest of his things on the side of the bed. The room was looking tidy, which meant Haku had been cleaning. Naruto wasn't exactly messy, but he often forgot to put things back in their place, or forgot where their place was entirely.

"I didn't like him _that_ much, but I was talking to him and he's kind of cool. He likes foxes too. We're gonna go hunting them in in the woods, and then write it up on his computer," Naruto informed him.

"That so?"

"Yuh huh! Where were you after school anyway? I waited by the tree but you didn't show," Naruto asked, groping under the bed for the shoebox where he kept his secret stash of chocolate bars.

"Sorry," said Haku sincerely, before adopting a slightly mischievous expression and biting his lip. "I left early." Hearing the change in tone, Naruto looked up and caught the glint in Haku's eyes.

"How early?" he asked suspiciously, tearing the corner of a chocolate bar wrapper to open it.

"After first period?" Haku admitted with a smile.

"You ditched?!" Naruto exclaimed, pausing mid-bite. Haku had the grace to look slightly ashamed.

"I know, it's bad, but I didn't miss anything important," he promised.

"Go on then," Naruto coaxed, taking a final bite out of the chocolate bar and throwing it across the small room to Haku, who caught it deftly. "Where did you go? No let me guess. Was it to see a certain someone?" Haku blushed slightly.

"...Maybe..."

"I don't know why I ask," Naruto laughed. "Every time you ditch it's for the same reason."

A few months ago, Naruto had waited for Haku at the tree but the other boy hadn't appeared. Naruto had shrugged it off, but half way home had been ambushed by his friend and sworn to secrecy. Thereafter, Haku had admitted to skipping gym in the morning and instead going wandering around the inner city, where he had met a tall, slightly intimidating man called Zabuza. At first Naruto was shocked at the blatant disregard for 'stranger danger' but Haku informed him that it was _he_ who had approached the other man. When Naruto asked why, Haku just shrugged and said he felt like it. Despite the strange setting, the two had spoken a lot, and after finding out that Zabuza always took that route, Haku had taken to missing school every so often, to follow the man around town. Naruto had been a little unsure, but after Haku had taken him to meet Zabuza (they'd both skipped, but no one had noticed) he had realised that there was nothing to worry about. True, the man didn't seem the most legitimate of characters, but he clearly meant Haku no harm.

"Did you two have fun?" Naruto asked casually.

"Yeah," Haku said with a small smile, blushing. Naruto noted this but said nothing. Haku had a tendency to flush red when talking about Zabuza, but when asked denied it. His expression became solemn. "He says he's leaving though."

"What?! Why?"

Haku shrugged. "Says he likes to keep moving, that it's not good to stay in one place for too long." He tried to keep the words light, but his tone was mournful.

"That sucks," Naruto announced, giving Haku a sympathetic look. When the boy didn't brighten, Naruto decided to divert his attention. "Don't worry, we'll be out of here soon enough." He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "How's the runaway fund going?"

"Not bad," Haku informed him, smiling slightly. "But it would probably have been better if we hadn't gone to the cinema last week."

"Never mind," said Naruto flippantly. "We'll just have to save extra this week. I can't _wait_ until we're out of here! It's going to be great, we'll have our own swanky place, with a massive garden-"

"And a swimming pool," Haku interjected.

"Yeah a huge swimming pool!" Naruto enthused, spreading his arms to demonstrate the size. "In the shape of a doughnut! And a parrot!"

"A budgie," Haku corrected.

"Oh okay, a budgie."

Haku gave a sigh, leaning back on his arms. "I can't wait," he said softly. Naruto caught his eye and gave him a smile.

"Me either."

The Uchiha family home was a large town house just outside the main city. It was by no means a mansion, but it was large enough that there were two spare bedrooms and they required a maid to come in three times a week to keep it clean. On the drive outside sat two shiny black cars, one which was Sasuke's father's, and one which had been a birthday present for his brother, Itachi, from their parents.

When Sasuke arrived home, he opened the door with his key and called out a quiet "I'm home" so as not to disturb his parents. As he closed the door and slipped off his shoes, his mother walked into the foyer. Her head was bent to the side to keep the phone secure between her ear and her shoulder, and allow her to hold a stack of folders.

"Yes, that's what I told him," she said, mid-conversation, as she lent forward and gave Sasuke a quick peck on the cheek and a smile, before carrying on in the direction of her husband's study. "Have you double checked it?" Her voice faded away in the dark corridors as Sasuke moved upstairs, his footsteps heavy. His mother, although an active socialite, also helped his father run the business, and so was often preoccupied with one thing or another.

Sasuke's room was on the top floor and had its own bathroom, while his parents and Itachi had rooms on the second floor with en-suites, which was nice because Sasuke liked to take long showers.

His room was large and rectangular, decorated in navy blue with a bed in the middle and a large window with blue curtains on one side. On the other side was a bookshelf packed with both reading books and non-fiction and a desk equipped with a lamp and computer, all in dark neutral tones.

Dumping his bag on the bed, Sasuke pulled off his tee-shirt, disliking the light sweat walking from the bus stop always created, and wandered into the bathroom for a quick shower. After drying his hair with a towel and redressing, he checked the time and debated doing a little maths revision. From downstairs, he heard the muffled noises of the door closing, and then footsteps coming up the stairs, before a door clicked shut. Sasuke suddenly decided that he wanted to tell his older brother about the nature project. He was itching to tell someone, and his parents wouldn't be interested unless he had a grade to show them. Abandoning his study materials, he left his room, skipping down the stairs and turning towards Itachi's room at the end of the landing.

"Where are you going, Sasuke?" His father's voice caused him to freeze before turning, heart full of trepidation. Fugaku Uchiha was in his late forties, tall and intimidating, used to speaking to his sons in the way he spoke to his business adversaries. He was of the opinion that if his sons wanted his attention, they should earn it.

"Just to see Itachi…sir" Sasuke said uncertainly, clasping his hands behind his back and swallowing. He tried to meet his father's gaze, but his eyes wavered and instead fixed themselves on the sharp white collar of his suit where it met the black tie. The tie was loosened, which meant he wasn't expecting visitors. When the tie was fastened securely, it meant that he was going to do something to do with the business, and was not to be disturbed on any account.

Fugaku regarded his younger son coolly.

"Your brother just arrived home, he's probably tired. He has a lot of work to do, you know." It sounded like a reprimand, and Sasuke hung his head.

"..I know," he said. "Sorry, father."

"Did you get the marks back for your maths test?"

"Yes, I got an A," Sasuke said, chancing a glance at his father's eyes and wincing as he noted the dissatisfaction there.

"Did anyone get an A+?" his father wanted to know.

"I don't think so. I don't know," Sasuke said.

"I see." He seemed to be waiting for something, so Sasuke added:

"I'll do better next time," in a firm voice.

This seemed to be what his father had been expecting. Fugaku gave a grunt of agreement, before heading down the stairs, no doubt to his office. Sasuke watched his feet move out of sight, before taking a deep breath and turning back towards his room.

"Sasuke?" The younger boy jumped at his brother's words, turning in the direction of his room where Itachi stood, door half open, his brother looking out. Itachi and Sasuke both took after their father, with dark eyes and darker hair. Itachi was taller, nearing the end of adolescence, in the period where his build caught up with his height and he lost the gangly look that many boys gained during puberty. Today his hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail as always, and his uniform was free of creases, as though he had just pulled it on. The lines beneath his eyes however, and the slight slump of his shoulders gave away his tiredness. "Are you- Did you want something?"

"Um, no, it's fine," Sasuke said haltingly, biting his lip again as his eyes darted from his brother to the floor and back. "I'm going back to my room now." Itachi looked at him for a minute, as though he was going to say something.

"Alright," he said finally. "I'll see you at dinner." He closed the door.

"See you," Sasuke whispered. He stood still for a few seconds, swallowing at the unexpected lump in his throat, before heading back to his room, each footfall heavy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Hi. Beta'd by my lovely beta Frickative who is really mean to me. Here's chapter two. Thank you to Halskr for reviewing :3 If you ever need a favour that I'm capable of fulfilling, look me up.  
Also, this story takes place in a fictional country which bears a lot of resemblance to America but is _not_.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

A week later, Sasuke was surprised when he entered the classroom to see Naruto already sitting at his desk. It was still quite early before school and only two or three students had arrived and were chatting casually, while Naruto was gnawing on the end of his pen and looking at his exercise book. Normally Sasuke arrived a good twenty minutes before their teacher so that he could put away his things and look through his homework. Naruto on the other hand was often tardy, coming in just as the bell rang or after. On the days that Naruto managed to get into school with time to spare, the two boys had taken to discussing the project and their progress, Sasuke ticking things off and editing their plan sheet while Naruto perched on the desk in front of him. Although they normally began by talking about the project, Naruto's conversation always jumped haphazardly from topic to topic, and they usually discussed a variety of things, from favourite foods to whether their history teacher's weight was detrimental to her health or not. (Sasuke said only due to the strain on her cardiovascular system. Naruto said: "Hell yeah, I mean how does she even get up in the morning? I bet she has to roll out!")

"Hey," greeted Sasuke, dropping his bag on his desk and moving to see what Naruto was doing. Looking over the other boy's shoulder, he recognised their maths homework. "Forgot to do your maths homework?"

"No," Naruto said with a little pout, straightening from his hunched over position and pointing to his work with the slightly damp end of his pen. "I did most of it, but I can't do the last question."

"You can't copy mine," Sasuke said defensively. He had found the last question challenging himself, but had struggled through it, unwilling to ask his older brother for help.

"I wouldn't want to," Naruto said, clenching his jaw. "I should have asked Haku, but he was busy with his own work, and then Inari wanted me to help him with a jigsaw so I got distracted." Sasuke drew up a chair and glanced at the question Naruto had already done, while a few more students trickled into the classroom.

"These look right," he commented. Naruto flushed at the casual compliment and elbowed him, making Sasuke huff.

"Yeah, well I'm not dumb," he said hotly, before scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I just need to see how to do a problem first, and then I can do it on my own. This one," he pointed to the last problem, "we haven't done before, so I don't know how to do it. Usually Haku shows me, but..."

"Hm," Sasuke nudged Naruto to get him to move over, and then looked at the half solved problem. "This is the problem, idiot," he said, pointing to the third line of working. "You need to multiply both sides by ten so you have the same units, then group like terms." Naruto stared for a second, glancing between Sasuke and the question, before his eyes lit up with understanding.

"Oh cool, then I can take this away from the other side?" he asked, already scribbling out his incorrect working and writing the new calculation.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, watching Naruto write in his messy scrawl, seemingly on a roll now that he understood what he was doing wrong.

"So the answer is 1-x?"

"Yes."

"Cool!" Naruto punched the air and put his hand up for a hi five, which was ignored.

"If you're this good at maths, then why do you never get higher than a B in tests?" Sasuke asked curiously. Naruto flushed again, the colour at odds with his bright hair, before giving a self conscious laugh.

"Well in tests they give you those long questions, and I write kinda messy so by the time I get to the end, I can't read my writing and make stupid mistakes so the answer turns out wrong. Heh." Sasuke stared at him blankly, before raising a hand and bonking him on the head.

"Why don't you write neater then, idiot?"

"Hey!" Naruto flinched and grabbed his exercise book, using it to swipe at Sasuke's shoulder. "It's not that easy you jerk!" Sasuke retaliated by shoving him so he nearly fell off the chair, and it deteriorated into a full out scuffle that ended when their teacher entered the room and told them to get off the floor.

*

One Saturday before the last week of term, the boys arranged to meet at the library, and then embark on their fox hunt. Sasuke took the bus and arrived to find Naruto sitting on the steps next to what Sasuke assumed was a teenage girl, but then recognised as Haku. They stood up as they noticed Sasuke's approach.

"Hey!" Naruto said, shooting him a bright smile, before turning to Haku. "See? I told you he'd show!" Upon processing the less than subtle words, Sasuke shot Haku a glare, but it was ignored in favour of a serene smile.

"Yes, it seems you were right. I will leave you two then," he said, brushing some imaginary dirt off of his jeans and adjusting the necklace he was wearing. "How do I look?" Naruto shrugged.

"You look fine, dude. Kinda girly, but you go for that stuff so," he shrugged again. "Don't let him talk you into doing anything you don't want to," he warned, eyeing his friend sceptically. Haku let out a light laugh, putting a hand over his mouth.

"I doubt very much that that will be a problem, Naruto," he said, causing Sasuke to raise his eyebrows at the insinuation, but Naruto didn't seem to notice.

"Alright, I'll see you back at the house?"

"Sure," Haku said, before walking down the steps and turning up the street. Sasuke turned to Naruto quizzically.

"Is he going on a date?"

Naruto's eyes bugged.

"What? No! He's just going to see this guy he likes talking to or something. It's a bit weird, but," Naruto shrugged, grabbing his bag from the step. "There are far worse things that he could do." They walked the few steps towards the sandstone building and passed under the main entrance, out of the sunshine and into the shadowy lobby.

"You live with Haku, right?" Sasuke asked. He had known that Naruto had a friend in the year above and also that Naruto lived in a children's home, but had never thought to enquire further.

"Yup," said Naruto cheerily. "Have since forever, or at least, since I was five or something," he amended. "That's when he arrived."

"And you?" Sasuke asked, and then immediately felt as though he had asked something rude. Naruto however didn't seem at all upset and just smiled.

"I've been there for as long as I can remember," he said as they walked into the main library and earned a stern look from one of the librarians for their conversation. Sasuke was still curious, how could someone have been in care their entire life? Didn't he have any family at all? Did he know who his parents were, or if they were even alive? He wanted to ask, but there was something about the edge of Naruto's smile that seemed strained, so he halted his enquiry and instead elbowed Naruto to ask if he'd turned his phone off.

They grabbed a table towards the biology section and Naruto ran off and returned with several thick textbooks, which he dumped on the table and then flicked through, initially with interest and then without. Sasuke scrolled through the indexes of the books, looking for anything that could help them with tracking the foxes and taking notes, while Naruto doodled and grew progressively more bored.

"Hey hey, Sasuke," he said finally, in an incredibly audible stage whisper. "Look what I have!" Sasuke put down his pen and watched as Naruto hauled his orange backpack onto the table and rummaged around inside it, before pulling out a square black case. He unzipped it to reveal a camera, the old fashioned kind with film and a strap attached. "Isn't it cool?" He passed it to Sasuke who held it warily. It was of surprisingly good quality, of a similar design to those used by professionals, but not nearly as high-tech.

"Yeah, it's cool. Where'd you get it?"

"Haku got it for me for my last birthday!" he said with a bright smile. "We can use it to take pictures of the woods and foxes and stuff!" He put the strap around his neck so that the camera fell against his chest. "Do I look like a professional photographer?"

"No, you look stupid," Sasuke said blankly. Naruto elbowed him and they would have started another fight, except a passing librarian glared at them so they stopped.

Naruto started complaining about being hungry by lunchtime, and since Sasuke deemed they had collected enough information to make a decent attempt at finding the foxes, they grabbed sandwiches from the shop opposite and sat on the steps again to eat them.

"Yum," said Naruto once he finished, letting out a small burp which caused Sasuke to glare at him. "Shall we go now?"

"Might as well," Sasuke answered, standing and brushing crumbs from his clothes. A pigeon flew down and started pecking at them, keeping its eyes fixed on the boys. Since Sasuke hadn't brought a bike, Naruto pushed his along instead of riding it, and the two walked out of the main city to Naruto's house, taking a few short cuts so the journey didn't waste too much time. When they reached the large house, Naruto pushed his bike into a little shed at the side.

"Do you want to get a drink or something?" he asked Sasuke, who was feeling slightly thirsty from the walk. He was about to reply in the affirmative, when he noticed that Naruto was wearing that strained smile again.

"No, it's fine," he said instead. "Let's just go into the woods."

"Cool," Naruto said, but the next time he smiled, Sasuke thought it looked more relaxed.

They walked to the end of Naruto's road and then around the back of the houses, climbing over a fence to get to an open field. Naruto went first, hoisting himself onto the top and then dropping down. Sasuke copied him, managing to carry out the manoeuvre with a little more grace, and landing smugly next to him. He made to start towards the trees, but stopped when Naruto didn't move.

"What?" he asked, looking at him in confusion. Naruto gave him a mischievous smile, his blue eyes twinkling in the sunshine.

"Wanna race?"

Sasuke was going to reply with a firm "no" since racing was for children and he wasn't a child, except Naruto started running without him, straight through the long grass of the field, and well, there was no way Sasuke could let him win.

They sprinted through the field. Naruto had a head start and so Sasuke put on an extra burst of speed, determined not to lose. His bag was awkward on his back, but Naruto was carrying a bag too so it was fair. Beneath his feet the ground was uneven but dry, and the air felt fresh against his face, blowing his hair back and lifting away the lethargy that the warm summer weather induced. He managed to decrease the distance between them, and then Naruto glanced over his shoulder to see how far Sasuke was, slowing as he did, so by the time they reached the first trees they were neck and neck. They stumbled to a halt, both breathing heavily in the quiet stillness of the woods. Naruto flopped down on the floor, heedless of the various debris that immediately situated itself on his person. Sasuke settled for leaning forward with his hands on his knees until he got his breath back and looked around.

The woods started out with a few, sparsely located trees, then added some bushes and shrubs, and a few metres later fell into dense greenery. The ground was covered in leaves and twigs, with scant patches of yellowing grass and here and there shrubs or flowers peeked out. It was silent, but at the same time not at all. Silent because the noises Sasuke was accustomed to, the drone of cars, the chatter of his parents, the phone ringing, the computer buzzing quietly, all of that was nonexistent in the woods, it might never have existed at all. Instead there was the breath of the wind, the originless birdsong, the crunch of dead leaves on the ground and chatter of green leaves in the trees. There was the all encompassing softness of the air and the way the light that shone through the narrow gaps in the foliage turned golden and illuminated lazy clouds of hover-flies.

Sasuke took a long moment to look around, then closed his eyes and breathed it in. When he opened them, Naruto was standing in front of him.

"I won," he crowed.

"No you didn't, and you cheated anyway," Sasuke said, walking past him. When he failed to hear the rasp of leaves crushed by footsteps behind him, he glanced over his shoulder and levelled Naruto with a challenging look. "Are you coming?" Naruto huffed and ran to catch up.

"Of course I am," he answered, heading off in a random direction, past a proud oak tree. "It's this way."

Sasuke followed Naruto, trying to keep his bearings but it was near impossible with the lack of landmarks. Every moss covered boulder looked the same, every sky piercing pine was identical. He hadn't been to the woods in years, although it was a favourite haunt for most kids in the area. If he strained his memory he could detect some hazy memories of Itachi taking him once or twice, but then Itachi started going to high school and became too busy to spend time like that with Sasuke. His parents never offered to take him, and although he could go himself, walking through the woods alone had never appealed to him. It did now, however, as he noted the peaceful scenery around him, the calming wood and brown palette. But then perhaps it only appealed to him because he wasn't truly alone, and just two steps ahead of him was Naruto bounding along happily. He stopped every now and then to take a quick photograph of something he considered related to their project, or just a rock that he thought was a funny shape, or a knot of a tree that looked like a wrinkly old face. Although they weren't really talking, Naruto wasn't quiet, pointing out anything and everything that caught his interest, chiding Sasuke for not keeping up and teasing him every time he stumbled over uneven ground. Sasuke considered pointing out that the noise would likely scare away potential foxes, but couldn't bring himself to dampen Naruto's sunny attitude.

After walking deeper into the woods, over a few slopes and stumbling over more than a few tree roots, deceptively hidden beneath the blanket of leaves on the ground, it became apparent that Naruto had no idea where he was going.

"I do too!" Naruto insisted, setting his jaw when Sasuke voiced this concern. "I saw a fox this one time and it was right over here." Sasuke had been a little sceptical before, but now, the sun was moving closer to the horizon from what he could see between the leaves of the canopy and they had absolutely no idea where the foxes were.

"Why don't we take a break?" Sasuke suggested, sitting down on a nearby log, his lip curling in distaste as he noted that his jeans would get dirty.

"'Kay," agreed Naruto, plopping down next to him and leaning back on his hands. "Hey Sasuke?"

"Hm?" Sasuke asked distractedly, rubbing at a grass stain that had mysteriously appeared on his shirt.

"What are you gonna be when you grow up?"

Sasuke glanced up at the question, looking at Naruto who was regarding him calmly, curiosity in his eyes, with his head tipped slightly to the side in a way that made Sasuke think he was copying Haku.

"I'm going to join my father's business, working for my brother." The words felt poisonous against his tongue, awkward and unpleasant, and to make it better he added "Obviously. What about you?"

"I'm gonna be an astronaut!" Naruto half shouted. "No wait, a detective! No a brain surgeon! Or a journalist or... I'm not sure. There's like a million billion things to choose from." Naruto blinked at him, before adopting a thoughtful expression. "What's your brother like?" The question surprised Sasuke. He had expected Naruto to ask about the business, not Itachi.

"What do you want to know?" Sasuke asked, suddenly defensive. Naruto shrugged.

"I don't have a brother," he said by way of explanation, his eyes moving away from Sasuke and tracing the curves and whorls of the tree bark. Sasuke observed him with dark eyes.

"You and Haku...?"

"He's not my biological brother," Naruto pointed out. Sasuke pursed his lips.

"I know that. I mean, don't you consider him a brother?"

"Maybe, but I don't know what having a brother is like, so I can't tell." There was that strained smile again. "Tell me?" Sasuke shifted awkwardly, the request was so trusting, so innocent. Difficult to answer and impossible to ignore. Sasuke thought of Itachi and all the images and emotions that he associated with his brother. He knew the facts, that he loved Itachi, that he looked up to him, that he wanted to be like him, and to be better than him at the same time. Yet those expressions fell short, failing to encompass the presence of Itachi in his life. His brother was his favourite person in the world, his most inspiring role model, his constant rival and the object of much resentment. He was saved from having to answer by a snatch of russet in the corner of his vision, and from the little gasp of breath, he knew Naruto had seen it too.

It was pure luck that the fox chanced to pass that way, pure luck that they had been sitting downwind and the conversation had dropped into a contemplative silence. Naruto and Sasuke sat completely still, Naruto stiller than Sasuke would have ever given him credit for, his eyes round and glowing.

The hint of colour they had seen belonged to a sleek copper creature, that slunk behind a tree, sniffing the air delicately and then, deeming it safe, venturing out. It moved gracefully, its limbs sinuous, like liquid instead of bone and muscle, flowing beneath the skin. Sasuke had seen foxes before on TV, and he had been to zoos and petted camels and giraffes, but somehow the sight of the fox, its tail flicking from side to side, the white tip thick like a paintbrush, made his breath catch. From the corner of his eye, he saw Naruto lift shaking hands to his chest and lift the camera, and was infinitely grateful that the boy had left it hanging around his neck instead of replacing it in the bag. When he raised it and started taking photographs, the click of the shutter sounded like gunshots, deafening, but the fox only flicked its ears in their direction, didn't run.

Time stood still, expanded, stretched around them and enveloped them. There was only the careful, efficient movements of the fox, the _click_ of Naruto's camera, and the stuttering rhythm of his heart. He could have sat there forever, with the woods all around him, the sun hidden by the leaves. When the fox finally ventured a little too close and picked up their scent, stiffening so the muscles in its neck became rigid before loping away and out of sight, he felt the cloying, sickening sensation of loss.

The two boys sat in silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts. It was funny, they had spent weeks researching foxes, talked about it all the time and had decided from the offset to track them, but now they had succeeded in seeing a fox so close, they were both surprised.

"That was so cool," said Naruto finally, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," agreed Sasuke hoarsely, before clearing his throat.

"When I die, I want to come back as a fox," Naruto announced, fingers dancing over the top of his camera. "It was so awesome!"

"She was beautiful," Sasuke said absently, and Naruto cocked his head at him.

"'She'?"

Sasuke shrugged, focused again. "How many photographs did you get?"

"Not sure," Naruto said, lifting the camera and inspecting it for clues. "Loads. Nearly the whole film." He looked up at Sasuke. "What now?"

"The project's finished I guess," Sasuke replied, his words uncharacteristically soft, still under the spell of the woods. "We should write it up, we'll probably have to present it on Thursday."

"Okay," agreed Naruto, standing and giving a stretch. He let out a little laugh. "Heh, that was fun, huh Sasuke?"

"Yes, it was." Sasuke couldn't explain why the air tasted acrid, like regret.

*

Until Naruto had met Haku, he had rarely received any form of acknowledgement or compliments. The care workers, irritated by his noisy nature, his lack of correct paperwork and excess of wrong paperwork, viewed him as an annoyance. To begin with, he sought to impress them and not trouble them too much, but his efforts were ignored, and by the time he was three, his childish mind perceived that if he wanted attention, the only way to garner it was to make as much noise as possible. If he stayed quiet, he was overlooked, and being scolded was better than being ignored. When he met Haku, it was a relief to finally have someone that saw him as a person, but the belief if he wanted acknowledgement, he must force people to recognise his existence was already deeply ingrained in his behaviour, even if he didn't recognise it. This internal mantra of his meant that whenever he socialised with kids his own age, he was loud and energetic. Although this prevented him from ever being overlooked or ignored, his boisterous attitude intimidated some children, and annoyed others. After Haku, Sasuke was the first real friend Naruto could say he had ever had, and he was the only one to ever invite him back to his house. This probably had a lot to do with Haku and Naruto living in the same house, Naruto considered. Although perhaps it meant that Haku invited him over every day? Or did he, Naruto, invite Haku over every day? The thought process was confusing, and so he abandoned it in place of anticipation.

It took them a while to leave the woods, since the only orientation they had was 'this rock looks sort of familiar' and 'I think I tripped over this root before.' By some miracle they managed to exit not far away from their original point of entrance, and so trekked back up through the field. Naruto noticed that just like before, when Sasuke climbed over the fence it was a little more graceful than him. He thought about complaining that Sasuke was a show-off, but settled for muttering it under his breath. Sasuke seemed slightly dazed since their encounter with the fox, but kept making attempts at shaking himself out of it.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Naruto asked after Sasuke had gotten a glazed look in his eyes for the fifth time. He was excited at the thought of seeing Sasuke's house and had a hundred questions running through his head. Would it be big? Would his parents be there? Would Sasuke introduce him to his brother? Mr Umino had invited him over for dinner once, and given him a quick lesson on etiquette, but a lot of it hadn't made any sense to Naruto. For one thing, if he was thirsty, why did he have to wait for his host to offer, instead of just asking where they kept the cola? But Sasuke seemed less enthusiastic about having him round all of a sudden, and Naruto couldn't help but consider that he had changed his mind.

"It's fine," Sasuke replied, seemingly irritated by the question. "Do you need to get anything from your house?" Naruto glanced at it as they passed and shook his head.

"Nah, we shouldn't be too late, right?"

Sasuke shrugged as they continued down the street, passing rows of identical houses. "Probably not, it shouldn't take too long, I already started writing it up."

"I can't wait to present it," Naruto said with a grin, his hands swinging casually at his sides. "Ours is totally going to be the best."

"Obviously," Sasuke said, allowing a small smirk to spill through.

Naruto's own smile widened. "I'll drop the film off on the way to school tomorrow," he said. "Then pick it up on the way back."

"Sounds good," Sasuke agreed, adjusting the strap of his backpack. The sun was lower on the horizon now, and the air was pleasantly cool. Ahead of them a group of young kids were drawing something in chalk on the pavement. "We can scan some in, and pass the rest around." They chatted some more about the project until they reached the bus stop, and then got into an argument about who was the cutest girl in their class, mainly because Naruto said it was Hinata, and Sasuke said he didn't care.

"Why do you want to know who I think is prettiest anyway?" Sasuke asked, shooting an irritated glare at Naruto who was standing at his side, looking down the street to see if the bus was coming.

"I just wanna know," Naruto said. "You always act like you don't care, but you gotta have an opinion, right?" Sasuke's glare intensified, and Naruto grinned, please to be pushing his buttons. Seeing the expression, Sasuke decided to use a different tact.

"Hn, Naruto," he said with a sly smile. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were looking for compliments. Do you want me to say I think _you're_ the cutest?" Naruto's expression was brilliant, and Sasuke had to fight back a laugh. First his brow furrowed in confusion, his eyebrows pulling together. Then there was growing comprehension in his eyes followed by shock and embarrassment.

"Hey!" he shouted, shoving Sasuke when he realised the other boy was joking. "Don't say stuff like that! I'm not a girl!" Sasuke let out a little laugh, surprising himself and covered his mouth as the bus pulled up with a groan. Naruto harrumphed and pushed past him, flashing his bus pass and then taking a window seat. The bus wasn't full, only a middle aged woman with her arms full of shopping bags and a man wearing an anorak despite it being July occupied it, so there were plenty of seats. Sasuke followed Naruto in and slid into the seat next to him, saying nothing.

Naruto had made his mind up to ignore Sasuke until they reached his house, and remained stout in his conviction for a full minute before growing bored. After half a minute of kicking his feet and then fifteen seconds of scratching at the grey material of the seat, he caved.

"Why do you cover your mouth when you laugh?" he blurted out. Sasuke's dark eyes widened slightly at the question.

"Do I?" he asked curiously. He didn't laugh that much, he didn't find that many things funny, and when he did he usually expressed it with a small smile. Naruto laughed a lot. In fact, Sasuke would go as far as to say he was almost always laughing. He never covered his mouth but laughed openly and loudly with no thought to how it looked.

"Yes," Naruto answered firmly. "You do."

"Shouldn't I?"

Naruto gave him a bright smile. "If you cover your mouth, no one can see you smile," he explained simply.

"Oh," said Sasuke, suddenly feeling very serious. They stayed silent for a while, Sasuke thinking about what Naruto had said, and wondering how come he acted so dumb but could say stuff like that.

Then Naruto elbowed him and asked how long they were going to be on the bus, it had been ages, and Sasuke said it had only been five minutes. Naruto said Sasuke clearly couldn't tell time because there was no way it had only been five minutes, and Sasuke said maybe _Naruto_ couldn't tell the time, then Naruto said that maybe Sasuke's _mom_ couldn't tell the time, which didn't make any sense at all.

It felt a bit like friendship, Sasuke thought.

*

The bus stopped ten minutes away from Sasuke's house, and the two were so busy squabbling they nearly missed it. Naruto followed Sasuke off the bus and took in his new surroundings. They stood on a wide street near a few shops, not quite far enough away from the city centre to be classed as suburban, but close. Sasuke started walking and Naruto quickly caught up, watching as their shadows were drawn out on the pavement in front of them, moving to keep pace. His shadow was a tiny bit shorter than Sasuke's so he had to keep walking in front to keep them even. Sasuke's hair meant his shadow had a spiky head, and Naruto was going to point it out and laugh, but wasn't looking where he was going and so nearly walked into a lamppost. Since Sasuke only snorted and looked away, instead of starting a fight, Naruto decided to let him get away with having a spiky head.

They took a turn and the shops petered out, giving way to large town houses that Naruto looked at with poorly disguised awe. The children's home was fairly big, but it housed so many people! These houses were for individual families, they were the kind of houses that Haku and he spent hours fantasising about living in. Many had gates on the front and shiny sports cars parked in the drive.

Naruto let out a whistle.

"You live around here?" he asked.

"Obviously," Sasuke answered.

"You're loaded," Naruto said bluntly. Sasuke shrugged, uncomfortable with the subject matter. It was almost dark now, the last traces of sunshine swiftly departing and leaving the street in darkness, the streetlights having yet to come on. The trees that lined the avenue looked dark and foreboding, and with the lack of sunlight, the temperature became suddenly cooler, causing Sasuke to suppress a shiver.

"Cold?" asked Naruto, catching the movement out of the corner of his eye.

"Not really," Sasuke shrugged, but he increased his pace just a little, and was relieved when Naruto didn't lag. The street was quieter than usual, only now and then did a car drive by, temporarily blinding their vision with its headlights before moving past, the rumble of its engine fading away.

They reached Sasuke's house, an austere but elegant affair, with a long driveway. Sasuke noted that both cars were on the drive, but his family hadn't turned the lights on yet.

"Nice house," Naruto commented, as he waited while Sasuke rummaged for his key and then fitted it into the lock. He twisted it and the door opened. Sasuke stepped inside, calling out a soft, "I'm home" and Naruto followed him. As he closed the door, he glanced outside. He had the strangest feeling that for once, closing the door on the night wouldn't make him any safer. He ignored the idea, berating himself for such a foolish thought. Outside, the sky was red.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my lovely beta Frickative who is an awful person.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

Sasuke's lobby was a spacious room in the middle of the house, with hallways leading off either side and a staircase straight ahead. The wall where the door was situated had two large windows neighbouring it, and through these enough light from the street entered that Sasuke felt it unnecessary to turn on the electric light, if they were just passing through.

Naruto looked around, observing the neatly kept room with a highly polished coffee table standing near the door, and a sombre artistic landscape hanging in a gilt frame on the wall. It was rather different to what he had expected. For one thing, he thought it would be... fuller. Not packed full and spilling out at the seams like the children's home, but fuller. He had expected Sasuke's mom to swoop down on them with cinnamon buns and triangle sandwiches and cookies as soon as they stepped in. Sasuke's brother and father he had imagined a little more like Sasuke. Quiet, serious, but approachable too. He had thought they would say a casual hello, Itachi maybe staying to tease Sasuke a little. But then, Naruto hadn't seen any other family homes, except on TV. Maybe this was what they were like in real life.

"Should I take off my shoes?" he asked, as Sasuke took off his own. He lowered his voice, even though he wanted to react against the quiet by being as loud as possible.

"Please," answered Sasuke, arranging his shoes neatly next to his parents'.

"Isn't anyone home?" Naruto asked, looking around in wonder. Sasuke shrugged.

"The cars are on the drive, but they could have been picked up by someone," Sasuke said. It wouldn't be the first time. "Or maybe they're in another area of the house."

"Oh," said Naruto, not at all sure what the protocol was in this situation. He had braced himself to receive cinnamon buns and triangle sandwiches. "Shouldn't you tell them I'm here?" Sasuke shot him a dark glare from below his fringe.

"They wont care," he muttered, padding towards the staircase and holding his bag in his hand. He looked around to see Naruto still standing at the door, holding his bag awkwardly. "Are you coming?"

"Of course!" said Naruto a little too loudly, and immediately regretted it. Sasuke glared again and started up the stairs, hearing Naruto follow. He was starting to remember why he never invited people to his home. His parents either interrogated them, wanting to know everything from where they lived to their parents annual income, or stayed completely out of sight. Sasuke hadn't had many serious friends, but if he had, he wouldn't have wanted them either intimidated or to pity him. Naruto had, as usual, made him forget about that.

"We're going to my room," Sasuke said as they reached the first floor, and Naruto paused, looking up and down the dim corridor while Sasuke continued up. "It's at the top."

"Mine too," Naruto said, giving him a slight grin. Sasuke tried a smile back, but it was weak. There was something about his home- his house, that was oppressive, and the quiet didn't help.

When they reached Sasuke's room, he went in first and flicked the light switch, frowning when it didn't turn on. Naruto pushed past him and entered, using the light from outside as a guide while he took it in.

"It's neat," he commented. "Like you."

"Hn." Sasuke walked to his desk and leaned over to turn on the desk lamp. He flicked the switch back and forth a few times to no effect. "I think the power's out."

"Really?" Naruto remembered about two years ago, when the power for his entire street had gone out, and everyone had ended up in the living room, playing Scrabble by candlelight. It had been fun, an adventure. Naruto had been a little disappointed when the lights had flicked back on. It didn't seem so fun now. "Does it happen often?"

"No," said Sasuke succinctly. "This is the first time."  
﻿  
"Should we get candles?" Naruto asked, looking around the room. He couldn't see any candles in the half light coming through the window. It was too early for moonlight and too late for sunlight and so they were left with the burning afterglow of the sky.

"Yeah," agreed Sasuke, pushing his curtains open a bit and then heading towards the door. "It probably wont last long but..." He trailed off when he reached the doorway, glancing at Naruto so that in the dimness, his eyes glimmered like a cat's.

"I'll come too," Naruto announced. "To help carry the candles, or the matches or the torch or whatever." He didn't mention that he didn't want to be left alone in the strange cold house especially not in the dark. He wasn't afraid of the dark, of course not, that was for kids. But if it was the first time the power had gone out in Sasuke's house, the other boy probably was probably scared. Naruto would just keep him company.

"All right."

Naruto left his bag next to Sasuke's but kept his camera around his neck as they walked to the first floor. It was darker now, and although Naruto's eyes had adjusted well to the dark, he was careful to look where he was going so that he didn't break anything. He was concentrating so hard that when they reached the first landing and Sasuke stopped, Naruto walked straight into him.

"Oww," he complained, cupping his nose with his hand. "What was that for, you jerk?"

Sasuke glanced back at him expressionlessly.

"You walked into me."

"Yeah, what did you stop for then?" Naruto asked, poking his nose tentatively and ascertaining that it wasn't broken. Sasuke twisted his mouth to the side and tilted his head ever so slightly.

"Can you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Naruto looked confused. Sasuke shook his head.

"Never mind. Probably nothing." They carried on down the stairs, Naruto fiddling with his camera.

"Where would the candles be?" he asked, following Sasuke through the lobby and along a corridor.

"I think there's a box around here somewhere," Sasuke answered, leading them into the the kitchen. This room too was dark, but the blinds hadn't been drawn and so a little light from outside let them see around. Sasuke moved towards the stove and knelt down, pulling a drawer open.

"Should we take more photos?" Naruto asked, trying to distract himself. He lifted the camera. "I think I know how to turn the flash on."

"Sure," Sasuke said non-committally. His rummaging in the drawer hadn't unearthed any candles, and he was beginning to wonder if there had been any in the first place. Standing, he leaned against the work surface, irritated, and was surprised to find his hand slipped over a cool cylindrical object. Looking close, he found that there were three thin white candles, the kind that would go in candle holders, lying innocuously on the counter. He picked them up and found a box of matches nearby. He felt a surge of warmth at the thought that before his parents went out, they had thought to leave candles out for him to see by.

"There's one here too," Naruto said, standing from the crouch he had dropped into when he tripped over the candle. "But it's broken, huh."

"I guess someone dropped it," Sasuke commented. "It doesn't matter, we have enough here."

"Okay," Naruto said with a shrug, leaving the broken candle on the table and lifting his camera again. "Shall we go back upstairs?" He looked over at Sasuke who was easy to make out against the black cupboards due to his pale colouring, but got no reaction. "Sasuke?"

"Can you hear that?" Sasuke asked again, frowning. He had thought he was imagining it before, but he could definitely hear a dripping noise, like a tap leaking. A quick glance at the sink verified that it was closed, and the basin dry.

"Uhm, yeah, now you mention it," Naruto said, looking out of the kitchen. "I think it's from one of the other rooms though. Did someone leave a tap open?"

Drip

"Must have," Sasuke said, brushing past Naruto and heading to the downstairs bathroom. He ignored the fear that was starting to grip him, despite Naruto's solid presence at his back, and pushed on the handle. The door opened smoothly, swinging inside, and Sasuke stepped in, immediately feeling the cool of the tiles seep in through his socks. He glanced around, light glinted dimly off the white porcelain of the toilet and the silver of the taps, but no water was dripping from the faucet. Naruto pushed at his back, causing him to make room so that they stood shoulder to shoulder inside the doorway.

"It's not here," Sasuke said blankly, clutching the candles tightly, disgusted to find his grip was sweaty with fear.

"Weird," said Naruto, keeping his voice low. "Maybe another room?" Sasuke shook his head but moved back into the hallway anyway.

"Can't be, there aren't any other taps. Maybe a burst pipe, or the roof could be leaking."

Naruto cast his friend a curious look. His voice hadn't hinted at any emotion, but even Naruto could tell that even if there were a hole the size of a boulder in the roof, there had been no rain, so it couldn't be causing the noise.

Drip.

Sasuke's breathing increased as they walked down the corridor, and he fancied he could hear the thud of his heart. He was such a child, he cursed inwardly, letting a little thing get him so unnerved. Itachi wouldn't have cared, Itachi would have calmly lit candles in every room and then read a book until the lights came back on. But Sasuke wasn't Itachi, and as much as it grated his pride to admit it, he was scared.

Drip.

It was the noise, he insisted. That incessant, horribly constant dripping. It didn't make a metallic _ting_ when it impacted, the kind that would be expected if it were landing in a sink, rather a much quieter, muffled squelch of a sound, like water landing on a sodden carpet. Definitely a burst pipe then, he tried to reassure himself. He walked a little further down the corridor, hearing Naruto trail behind him, his heart racing in his chest and the continuous dripping. It was getting louder now, the squelching was more pronounced, it sounded like the carpet was saturated.

Drip.

Time seemed to have slowed as he reached the lounge and looked inside. It was a large room that they usually used only when entertaining, after the party had retreated from the dining room and become more informal. It had large velvet drapes instead of regular curtains, and as Sasuke stood in the doorway, he realised that they were closed. _Strange_, said the part of his mind that was still rational. _Run_, said the part of his mind that was sick with fear.

Drip.

"Is it here?" Naruto chirped from behind his right shoulder. His voice was light, but he was standing right behind Sasuke, so close they were almost touching.

"I think so," Sasuke murmured, casting his eyes around the room. It was far darker in here, with no light piercing the thick material of the drapes. He could make out the slightly darker shapes of the furniture; his father's favourite chair, the sofa against the back wall, the oak bureau in the corner, and the expensive Italian-crafted table that his father had imported. He had been so proud of it. Sasuke looked around again, taking a step forward and wincing as his foot sank into liquid. Wherever the leak was, he had been right in thinking the carpet was wet. The fabric was completely sodden and heavy with liquid. He stepped back, suddenly choking as he noticed a sudden tang to the air. Behind him, Naruto hadn't noticed anything was wrong yet, still in the hallway, fiddling with the camera.

Drip.

It was too dark, too dark, Sasuke thought, and he couldn't see, even though in the pit of his stomach he _knew_ what was in the room, _knew_ what it was he could smell and _knew_ that it wasn't a burst pipe. It wasn't water that had soaked through the carpet. The carpet, Sasuke realised, with a shudder, was warm.

Drip.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked behind him, running his fingers over the grooves on the camera to keep himself occupied.

Drip.

Sasuke ignored him, holding the one candle he had tight in one hand, and opening the box of matches. There was something wrong with the outlines in the room, something wrong with the outline of the coffee table, and maybe Sasuke was going crazy, but he thought he saw a flicker of movement in the shadows at the other end of the room. He had to light a candle, had to see, before he went insane. If his legs weren't numb with fear, if the carpet wasn't soaked with that lukewarm -_body temperature_ his mind screamed- liquid, he would rush and pull back the curtains, but he couldn't.

Drip.

Instead, with shaking hands, he pulled out one match and struck it against the side of the box, cursing as it failed, and then trying again, a little wildly. This time it struck, and with a hissing the head of the match caught alight, the flame blinding them for a second. He brought the candle up with his other hand, holding it awkwardly as he struggled with the lit match, the box and the candle.

Drip.

"Sasuke, do you want me to-?" Naruto moved forward, forgetting about the strap around his neck and holding the camera in one hand as he tried to assist Sasuke by grabbing for the candle. He managed to hold it steady while Sasuke held the match to the wick until it caught flame. Sasuke shook out the match before it burnt his fingers.

Drip.

Naruto held out the candle. It cast a shaky pool of light around the room.

Drip.

I was right, some part of Sasuke's brain thought. There _was_ something wrong with the coffee table.

Drip.

The light wasn't strong, and it wavered with each breath they drew, but it clearly illuminated the table in the middle of the room. The discrepancy in the outline that Sasuke had noticed before was much clearer now. On top of the cool wood, bleeding from various wounds, lay the bodies of his mother and father. His father lay on his stomach, head down, a dark stain on the back of his suit. Sasuke couldn't see his tie from this angle, couldn't tell if it was tight or loose. The stain looked black, but when the light fell on it just so, it went a shiny red. Sasuke's mother was propped against the table, her neck at an odd angle. Her earrings were red too, and her eyes were open. Their blood, Sasuke didn't know whose it was, was pooling on the wood of the table and dripping off the end, onto the carpet. It was going to leave a stain. His mother wouldn't be pleased. Her eyes were open.

Drip.

Sasuke couldn't move, he just stood, staring, feeling a stinging pressure behind his eyes, feeling acid in the back of his throat and a rolling in his gut and trembling in his legs. Next to him, he heard Naruto's sharp intake of breath, and then gagging. Sasuke wanted to do the same, but a part of him was looking at it all and saying, _it's just death, they're just bodies._

Drip.

_It's just blood._

Sasuke felt a scream claw itself up his throat, but when he opened his mouth it was soundless. All he heard was the relentless pounding of his heart, Naruto choking behind him and that incessant dripping. It's a dream, he said to himself. Or a joke. It's not real, none of this is real. I fell asleep in the woods, I didn't come home, I'll wake up any second. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Oh god... Please wake up. Please. Please. Please. Please. I'll do anything. Just please. Please. Sasuke didn't know who he was asking to wake up, himself or his parents, but he had to keep saying it, keep repeating it in his head again and again.

Drip.

"Oh god..." Naruto muttered behind him, his voice hoarse. He moved the candle to the other hand to wipe his mouth, and accidentally pressed down on the capture button of his camera. There was a quiet click, then a flash. Sasuke wanted to turn around and start yelling what the _hell_ Naruto thought he was doing taking photographs at a time like this. But he didn't, because Naruto _had_ managed to turn the flash on, and for that split second where the room was illuminated just a little bit more, Sasuke had seen his brother.

"Itachi?" he said, his voice weak with relief. In reply, his brother stepped forward, on the other side of the table, into the circle of light provided by the candle that Naruto still held.

"Sasuke." His voice was rich, like wine. There was no trace of fear, he was calm.

"Itachi," Sasuke repeated, before the words started spilling out, one after another. "Mother and Father... what happened, did you see? S-should we call an ambulance? There's so much blood..." His voice started to shake, not just because of his own words, and the realisation, but because Itachi was _calm_. He was standing in the cooling blood of his parents and he was calm. And there was something very, very wrong with that. "Itachi," Sasuke whispered again. "What's going on?"

"Fuck," said Naruto suddenly, and Sasuke remembered that he was there, remembered that there _was_ someone called Naruto in the world. Remembered that there was a world outside the lounge where the carpet was saturated with blood and his life was falling apart.

"Naruto," Sasuke whispered, unwilling to turn his eyes away from where his brother stood coolly, watching his parents -_the bodies_- with a disengaged interest. "Leave."

"What?" Naruto took a step closer to Sasuke, glancing at Itachi. "_No_, Sasuke, we have to do something, call the police or, the ambulance, or _something_, we can't just-" he stopped as Sasuke gripped his wrist, finally looking away from his brother to lock eyes with him.

"_Leave_," he hissed, the grip on his wrist bruising. He didn't know what was going on, didn't know how his brother was involved, but this was family, this was nothing to do with Naruto, and he shouldn't be there. "And don't tell anyone what you saw."

"Sasuke-"

"_Go_," Sasuke gave him a little push, before turning his attention back to his brother. He could die here tonight, he thought. At least Naruto would live. "Naruto. Run."

"I'm not-"

Sasuke turned, pushed Naruto out and closed the door behind him, locking it. Naruto threw one desperate glance at the closed door and obeyed. He took the candle with him and left the two brothers standing in the dark.

He raced to the door and grabbed his trainers, camera bouncing against his neck, stumbling over the ground in his haste. As he ran down the drive he glanced back at the house. Sasuke may well have just saved his life... He didn't want to leave, but he couldn't help if Sasuke wouldn't let him. He would call the police, he decided, hoping that Sasuke would be okay. His own brother wouldn't do anything to him, surely? That's not how brothers acted. As Naruto ran to find a phone booth, his thoughts were filled with how brave Sasuke had been risking his life like that.

Back in the lounge, watching his brother across the bodies of their parents, Sasuke hoped Itachi would kill him quickly.

*

_"Thank you for calling, we will respond as fast as possible." _

Naruto heard the dial tone and let his death grip on the phone loosen slightly, before replacing the receiver with rigid fingers. He stared at his hand. His fingers were wrapped tightly around the phone, the knuckles white, and he had to concentrate to make them unwrap, one by one. He left the phone booth and had to lean against the side for a few seconds, looking up. The sky was dark now, black. There were probably stars, but he couldn't see them.

He started walking shakily, not completely sure where he was. He never came to this area of the city usually, but eventually he found himself on the main road and numbly waited at the bus stop. It was suddenly much colder, and he shivered, wearing only a T-shirt. It was only when he fumbled to get his bus pass out of his pockets (his fingers still wouldn't cooperate) that he realised he was still clutching the long white candle in his grip. The wick was black and cold. He flashed his bus pass at the driver and walked slowly to the back.

The bus was empty and Naruto stared blankly out of the window, keeping the candle in his hand. His head felt foggy and he couldn't quite get his thoughts straight. His stomach was still rolling from what he'd seen, every time he looked into the darkness outside he saw Itachi standing over the table, his expression blank. Had he really done it? Was he capable? To distract himself, Naruto concentrated on the stub of a cigarette in the walkway. He wondered how it had gotten there. The bus was a no smoking zone. Sasuke's mother's eyes had been open. Naruto gagged and covered his mouth with his hand. In the mirror, the bus driver glanced at him with concern. He swallowed hard and tried a weak smile and wave to show he was okay.

What was Sasuke doing now? He was okay, wasn't he? He had to be. A part of Naruto's mind was screaming at him to get off the bus, to run back to Sasuke's house and _do something_. But what? What could he do? The police would be there by now, he reassured himself. Sasuke would be okay. Sasuke would be okay. Sasuke would be okay.

He looked back out of the window, cars flashed past, he saw a few people walking around. A group of kids went into a McDonald's. A lady unlocked her car. The bus driver hummed quietly. No one seemed to know that Sasuke's parents were dead. He expected the world to be different, for everyone to feel as confused and sick and helpless as he did, but the world carried on.

Through sheer luck he managed to get off at the right stop, and then walk back to the home. At the door he realised that he had left his bag at Sasuke's house. Maybe the other boy would bring it into school the next day. If he turned up. _If he was alive_. He didn't have his key so he had to knock. He could hear various voices from inside, all laid over one another in a tapestry of different tones. Closer to the door her heard a shuffling, and then it was opened by Inari.

"Hey Naruto, do you want to play hide and seek?" the small boy asked seriously.

"Maybe later, Inari," Naruto answered as he stepped inside, trying to look cheerful. The younger boy just looked at him solemnly, before walking further into the house and leaving him. Naruto let out a breath and closed the door behind him, leaning against it for a second. He kicked off his shoes and walked heavily up the stairs, remembering how just a few hours ago, he'd followed Sasuke up. He couldn't even remember why he'd been at Sasuke's house, his memories had become pushed back, vague and foggy. He'd been there for the project. The project? What was that?

"Hey!" Haku said excitedly, as soon as he entered the room. Haku was sitting on his bed in his sleeping clothes, writing in his diary again, but put the pen down as soon as Naruto entered. His eyes were bright, but his expression faltered at what he saw in his friend's face. "Naruto. What's wrong?"

Haku was the closest thing that Naruto had ever had to a brother. They had been best friends ever since they met, and Naruto had never held anything back from him. Every secret, every boast, every irrelevant thought that had passed momentarily through Naruto's mind before fluttering out and dissipating into nothing had been mentioned to Haku. But when he opened his mouth to tell him what had happened that evening no sound came out. How could he even start? How could he find the words? How could he express the horror and absolute fear that had gripped him? Haku stared at him, confused, concern lacing his features. Naruto couldn't explain, but he didn't want Haku to worry, there were enough problems without complicating it all further. There was nothing they could do anyway. Instead, he forced a casual smile onto his face. Another casual smile. But that was okay, he was used to giving them.

"Nothing much, what are you so happy about?"

Haku frowned, putting his pen down, his brown eyes scrutinising Naruto's appearance before fixing on his hand.

"Why are you carrying a candle?" he asked. Naruto looked down and realised he still hadn't dropped the candle. He wanted to try, but was worried he wouldn't be able to, and then Haku would know something was wrong. Instead he waved it lightly.

"Oh this? The power was out at Sasuke's house, so we got candles. I forgot to give this one back." Not a lie, Naruto wasn't good at lies. A half truth. Haku could normally tell when he was lying straight out, but an omission was much harder to discern, especially when Naruto was trying so hard to convince him.

"Really?" Haku frowned slightly, but then his expression cleared. "All right," he said, his tone wary. "Anything interesting happen?"

"Nope." Naruto walked to his bed and forced his hand open, letting the candle bounce innocently on the covers, like an old bone. "I'm just really tired, it's been a long day." He pulled off his T-shirt, shaking his hair out. He unbuttoned his jeans and slid them off, kicking them into a pile at the bottom of his bed. "Gonna go brush my teeth."

In the bathroom, Naruto stared at his reflection, practising smiles until he felt it was convincing. He brushed his teeth until the fake mint of the toothpaste obliterated the taste of vomit and the tang of blood no longer clouded his sense.

When he re-entered their room, Haku was already in bed.

"Can you turn out the light?" he asked, pushing the pillow into a pleasing shape. Naruto hesitated for half a second.

"Sure." He closed his eyes as he flicked the switch, and when he opened them his knees were weak with relief that the moonlight lit the room clearly. "Let's leave the curtains open."

"Okay." Haku's voice was muffled. "Night."

"Night."

After Haku's breathing evened out, Naruto lay in bed, wide awake despite his exhaustion. His mind was like a video player on fast forward, scenes of blood and shadow flashing again and again. He didn't sleep that night, because even though he knew he had closed the tap, even though he knew it was in his head, every time sleep beckoned towards him, he heard the unmistakable sound of dripping.

*

Sunshine streamed through the window, painting bright yellow rectangles on the classroom floor and folding over the desks, leaving soft shadows where it was blocked. Through an open window, a cool breeze blew in, granting temporary relief to the inhabitants of the stuffy classroom. Mr Umino stood at the front of his class, waiting for the assortment of students to settle down behind their desks so that they could begin. He smiled softly as he looked at his pupils. Some were eating, some staring out of the window. A few girls were laughing over something and their voices were like wind chimes. He had a nice class, they were enjoying their work and it was nearly the end of term. While usually by this point in the year students had lost all interest in studying, his brainwave to give them a biology project had been surprisingly successful, and the kids had remained motivated throughout. Now, with only two days until the holidays began, they were showing off the fruits of their labour.

"All right everyone, settle down," he said with a broad smile. He was popular with his students for being genuinely interested in their well-being, but was not above giving deafening lectures or relentless punishments if he felt them in order. The combination meant that his class was attentive to him and quietened almost immediately. "Did you all enjoy the talks yesterday?" There was a chorus of the mandatory 'yes's coupled with underlying 'no's. "All right, so is everyone ready to do their presentations today?" He looked down at his class organiser to see which pairs were due to give their talks and his eyes skittered to a halt on the line that he had pencilled "_Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha_." He glanced across the room to their designated seats, letting his eyes affirm what he already knew; they were both still absent.

Sasuke's absence was to be expected, he would be disturbed to see the boy in school at this point. After the tragedy had been spilled all over the news, the school teacher had been horrified. The fact that the police had no leads on who was accountable for the murder of the boys' parents was almost as disturbing as the act itself. Sasuke was a quiet child, but extremely intelligent, and Mr Umino hated to think what would happen to him now. His brother wasn't quite old enough to take care of him, although the tabloids that were tracking the story with perverse interest rumoured that a family friend would be taking him. The principal had informed him that Sasuke had been withdrawn from the school and would not be returning. It was a horrific situation, but at least Sasuke had his brother.

Naruto was a different case entirely. The boy had appeared at school on Monday, nervous and distracted, jumping every time someone so much as called his name. His eyes had strayed constantly to Sasuke's empty seat, and at the end of the day had nervously approached his teacher to ask after his friend. The look at he had received when he informed the boy that Sasuke wouldn't be returning had been heartbreaking. The last bit of hope he had been cherishing was clearly extinguished, and his eyes filled with resignation. Over the past few weeks, working on the project had caused a firm friendship to develop between the boys, and it had been lovely to watch Naruto finally make a friend worthy of him. It had warmed the school teacher's heart to read the updates on the project that Naruto had written in his progress book, in that messy handwriting of his. His excitement had carried through his scatty prose, and Mr Umino had looked forward to giving him an 'A+'.

When he hadn't attended class for two days after Sasuke's disappearance, the biology teacher had decided to pay the childrens' home a visit and take him out for ice cream. He liked to take Naruto out once a month or so, and would have seriously considered fostering him if the boy wasn't set on staying with his friend, so was understandably concerned for his well-being. Upon visiting the home, the door had been answered by a solemn faced young boy that had informed him that "'Ruto and Haku ran away." Mr Umino was shocked and enquired further, insisting on speaking to one of the adults in the house who dully informed him that Naruto had in fact run away with his friend. They were optimistic about finding him- "You know kids, they always go to the same places, McDonald's, the cinema. They'll turn up sooner or later." However the lack of interest in the cause had been disgustingly apparent. True, most kids did appear only a few hours after 'running away' but Naruto wasn't most kids. The teacher had a sinking feeling that Naruto had thought it through a little more, and he wasn't alone. Although Mr Umino had never personally taught Haku, he knew him to be a capable young man. Someone he would have thought to have more common sense than to run away without any forethought. As much as he wanted to believe it inconsequential, the fact was that kids got lost all the time and social services had better things to occupy their time with than two adolescents who were more trouble than they were worth. From the conversations at the home that he overheard, he knew that they both refused placement after placement, insisting on staying together, and although Haku's history was on record, Naruto's paperwork left a lot to be desired.

_Wherever you are Naruto_, he thought, _I hope you're okay._

"Mr Umino?" He glanced up to see a cute, curly haired girl in the front row regarding him oddly, and realised that he had let his thoughts run away with him.

"Ah, sorry class," he said with a nervous smile, trying to grasp the threads of what he had been saying. "Right, shall we start?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my lovely beta Frickative who is an awful person.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

The apartment was so full it looked smaller than it really was. To say it was untidy wouldn't be completely accurate; there was nothing like the usual messy habitat of a student. The small kitchenette was free of dirty dishes and maverick toast crumbs, giving it a clinical feel, and there was no laundry on the floor or discarded crushed balls of paper dotted around a waste paper basket.

On every surface - the low coffee table, the top of the bookshelf and all along the walls - there were pictures. Some photographs, but mainly paintings and sketches. There were a few watercolours, and one or two layered charcoal pieces, but for the most part, the paintings were done in ink. The art was a mixture of still life and abstract, with the typical fruit bowl full of shiny apples, and haphazard portraits placed cosily next to warped faces and polygons of colour. The floor, for the most part, was kept clear, seen as a walkway and little else. The only place where the dark, impersonal carpet was hidden was by the window, where an old sheet was laid over the floor, and a wooden free standing easel was set up.

In front of the easel, considering the canvas propped against it, was a young man holding a paintbrush thoughtfully, the white tip covered with dark ink that dripped to the floor, spotting the sheet with tiny dots. He had black hair, pale, almost ashen skin and an oddly expressionless face. The picture he was painting was of his friend. He had sketched it out in soft pencils as a guide, but decided that his preferred medium of ink would be more effective. In the hand that was not holding a brush, thin, graceful fingers grasped a square segmented pallet which was filled with ink of varying consistencies. Having finished considering the sparse lines marring the otherwise blank canvas, he swirled the paintbrush in a section of the pallet, the corner of his mouth curling slightly down as he noted the texture.

"Too thin," he murmured quietly, his voice like wind through reeds, making his words almost indistinguishable to ears not attuned to the tone. He gave the canvas one last look of displeasure before turning away and walking through the apartment. He balanced the paintbrush along the central groove of the pallet, weaving through his minimalist furniture and heading to the small bathroom connected to his bedroom. He preferred to mix his ink himself, and although the result sometimes left him dissatisfied, it gave him more freedom. He washed the whole pallet out and then filled a small section of it with water from the tap, swilling the water around the basin to clear the dark residue left. He could have used the water from the kitchen sink, but he could never get it to quite the right temperature. Since he always mixed ink and paint in the bathroom, the mirrored cabinet above the sink contained a pot of paintbrushes along with his one toothbrush, tubes of paint along with toothpaste, and bottles of ink snug next to the mouthwash. He ran his fingers along the lids of the bottles, caressing them gently before deciding on a particular one and deftly opening it. With a steady hand he poured out a generous amount into his pallet and then added a chunky spiral of black paint to add thickness. Satisfied, he straightened from the sink with his pallet, left the confines of the bathroom, and tripped three steps into his bedroom.

The box which he tripped over was the only object in the entire apartment that was out of place. He liked everything to be in order, which was why when his friend had asked to leave the box there (the same friend in fact, that he had been struggling to draw) suggesting he shove it in the back of his wardrobe, the artist had declined the suggestion and left it out, simply pushed to the side. The wardrobe was for clothes. The cupboard for linen. The kitchen cupboards for neatly stacked bowls and plates that he rarely used. There was no place designated for the box, and he had seen no harm in letting it stay on the floor. Watching the brown cardboard hungrily suck up the ink, he realised that perhaps his friend had had a point.

He quickly deposited the palette and paintbrush back in the sink and crouched next to the box to observe the damage. It wasn't sealed, so he opened the flaps at the top and was somewhat relieved to see folded material, marred by the spreading black stain. Although the ink was a problem, it washed out of most fabrics. If it had been paper or electrics, they would have been rendered useless. He hadn't looked before at the contents of the low box, hadn't seen the need, but he was grateful it hadn't been anything particularly delicate. Not that he had thought it would be delicate. All he had been told was his friend's apartment was rather busy at the moment and that while he was in the middle of moving apartments he hadn't wanted the contents of the box to get lost. The young man let a slight smile tease his lips at the memory, even while lifting the material out and setting it aside. It appeared to be clothes, of the casual, everyday variety, so he wasn't worried about them being damaged. To his surprise, underneath the clothes was a square wooden box, the varnished cover darkened by the ink that had somehow permeated even this layer.

Without thinking, the artist opened the lid and looked inside it, checking that the ink hadn't managed to get through. Satisfied, he glanced at the contents cursorily. They appeared to be a selection of keepsakes, typically sentimental. He had heard of them, although never kept one of his own. There were a few letters, some photographs and postcards, seashells, a flattened coin, some scraps of folded paper and a dark roll of film. The young man's eyes landed on the latter, immediately drawn to anything connected to photography. He noted with interest that it was the old sort of film, used in mechanical cameras that had more recently become almost obsolete against the convenience of digital ones. It was hard these days, outside of sending the film off somewhere, or developing privately, to get this sort of film developed, as his friend had obviously found. Luckily, the artist was more than familiar with photography and had access to a shared dark room at college. He would develop the film himself, he decided, as an apology for staining the clothes. He was sure his friend would appreciate the gesture. Yes, he thought, replacing the unmarred contents of the box, leaving the film canister in his hand, Naruto would be pleased.

*

When the alarm went off beeping shrilly, at an ear-splitting pitch that would penetrate even the deepest of slumbers and cause most individuals to sit up straight in bed, looking wildly around the room for a fire, it was ignored for three minutes. The alarm was the old fashioned kind, red with bells on the top and vibrating ever so slightly as it rang out, causing it to shuffle across the table it stood on, to be brought up short by a blue plate sitting dangerously close to the edge. The room was extremely small, with only a single bed, bedside table, chest of drawers, wardrobe and tiny wooden desk next to the door. The little floor space there was was dominated by clothes, shoes and empty food containers, giving the room a slightly stuffy feeling, despite the partially opened window.

The bed was covered in an orange duvet, which covered a person in such a way that his head was entirely cocooned, but from the knees down his skin was exposed to the air. Finally, the ringing of the alarm coaxed a little shifting out of the lump, and from the top, a hand peeked out, groping blindly until it hit the alarm and pressed a button on the top that made it stop. There was a muffled sigh of relief, a little shifting beneath the duvet, and then silence again. About ten minutes passed in which the only noise in the room was the breeze pushing through the window, before suddenly, as if on cue, loud heavy rock guitar music started playing. The source of the music was an orange mobile phone nestled in a discarded shirt, its screen lighting up as it rang. After thirty seconds, the phone stopped ringing, and there was another muffled sigh from the duvet, before it started up again. With a pitiful moan, the duvet shifted again, feet moving up and tucking under the duvet, before the figure sat up blearily, looking around the room. His blond hair was plastered to his head in some places, and sticking vertically up in others due to his sleeping position, and his right cheek had pillow marks on it. He blinked a few times, like a nocturnal creature thrust into daylight, and then looked out of the window in awe, noticing the position of the sky. Meanwhile, the ringing stopped and then restarted for a third time. The pause seemed to cause him to awaken a little, and he stood up, stumbling a little as his foot landed on a plate covered by a shoe. A few seconds were spent scanning the contents of the room, before his eyes alighted on the phone and he bent to pick it up.

"Whassit?" he mumbled, putting the phone to his ear and wincing as the music didn't stop. He moved the phone backwards and looked at it in confusion, before realising his mistake. He thumbed the green button and put the phone back to his ear. "Whassit?" he repeated, in a gravelly tone.

"Naruto?"

"I'm awake!" shouted Naruto, immediately recognising the voice and snapping alert. "I mean, I wasn't sleeping! I was in the bathroom! Yeah, that's where I was." As he babbled he looked around the room, bending to pick up various articles of clothes and study them.

"Of course," the voice teased. "What's the point of putting on your alarm if you just turn it off as soon as it rings?"

"It's not my fault! I can't be held accountable for what I do when I'm asleep," Naruto argued, finding a relatively clean T-shirt and throwing it on the bed, followed by his jeans. "Besides, who says I turned it off? I told you I'm awake, I woke up when it rang and then I..."

"Went into the bathroom?"

"Yeah! That's it!" Naruto affirmed, going through a door and into a tiny bathroom.

"How are you going to survive without me?"

"I'll be fine!" Naruto boasted, running a hand through his hair to get out some tangles. "Or you know, you could come and live with me like I wanted."

There was a sigh.

"...Naruto-"

"I know I know," Naruto interrupted, sorry to have mentioned it at all. "I get it, don't worry." Another sigh. "Look, thanks for the wake up- uh, the call, but I have to go, I'm gonna be late."

"Alright, stop by the shop later?"

"You got it."

"Bye."

"Bye Haku." Naruto pressed the red button on his phone and tossed it through the open door in the direction of his bed. He stared at it for a second, then turned back to the bathroom with a sigh of his own. As he turned on the shower, waiting a few seconds for the hot water to heat up the tiled floor, he mentally scolded himself for being absent minded enough to let the conversation waver like that. He had moved into the apartment only two weeks ago, although from the mess it seemed like longer. Originally, he had intended to get a place with Haku, but when he brought it up with his friend, it was clear that although Haku would move in with Naruto to save hurting his feelings, he would rather stay with Zabuza. Naruto wanted his friend to be happy, so had chosen a smaller, cheaper place to move to. It was nice, quieter, safer. There were no "safe times" and "danger times" like in the two bedroom apartment he had shared with Zabuza and Haku. When they had all lived there, he and Haku had shared the second bedroom, just like back at the children's home, a lifetime ago. As Naruto stepped out of the shower and grabbed towel, he wondered grimly if Haku would enjoy a bigger bedroom all to himself. He snorted angrily at the thought, towelling his hair a little roughly. He _knew_ Haku felt badly about not staying with him, but they weren't kids anymore. Nowadays, their relationships weren't as simple as building a sandcastle.

After he dressed, he had a quick shave. When he was sixteen he had tried to grow a moustache, and at the end of four weeks of careful shaving _around_ his proto-moustache he had managed a somewhat fluffy blond upper lip. When Zabuza, who had been on a trip, saw Naruto, he burst out laughing. He was unable to speak for several minutes after which he crushed the suave self image Naruto had of himself avec moustache with a few well-placed comments that had even loyal Haku hiding a smile. Even though Haku had later assured him that the addition of facial hair had made him look rugged, manly and most assuredly suave, Naruto shaved the abomination off, and swore to never go more than four days (five at an absolute push) without shaving again.

He grabbed a piece of toast on the way out and then left his apartment, feeling a bit of pride in having a place to call his own. He jogged down the stairs, ignoring the fact that the elevator had been out of service ever since he moved in and stepped out into the warm sunshine. Across the car park under a small shelter that had been his main criteria when looking for a place, sat his orange and black motorbike. He'd had it for a year now, and seeing it still made him shiver with happiness and anticipation. It was twelve minutes after one o'clock in the afternoon, and his class started at two, which meant he could either ride slowly down to the university and get there in time, or go as fast as he liked, and get there early. He considered his options as he put his bag in the storage compartment and put on his helmet.

At thirty eight minutes past one, Naruto skidded to a halt next to a battered green Volvo. Without pausing to turn off the engine, he shifted the sleeve of his jacket up and checked his watch.

"Twenty six minutes!" He yelled, punching the air with a whoop. "New record baby!" A few students milling around, getting out of their own vehicles gave him strange looks, but he ignored them, slipping off the bike and pulling off his helmet, letting the air get to his hair. There was nothing in the world quite like breaking the speed limit on a motorbike. He only wished he didn't have to wear the helmet all the time, he'd love to feel the wind as he went. But alas, Zabuza had taught him that sometimes, just sometimes, the law was there for a reason. He attached the lock, winding it through the helmet as well, and then retrieved his bag from the back, stashing his riding jacket at the same time. He slung his bag on and stood back, admiring the sleek machine. It had been rather extravagant, he admitted, but he was fed up of getting the bus every day, and so, demonstrating far greater control than used creating the "Runaway Fund" he had saved for the "Motorbike Fund." It had taken a good two and a half years, but it was, in Naruto's opinion, absolutely worth it.

"If you believe a friend is inappropriately involved with his vehicle, should you tell him?" A voice called, interrupting Naruto who was trailing a finger along the paintwork, checking for chips.

"I'm _not_, Sai," Naruto said, turning around hotly. "And don't call her a 'vehicle,' she is a thing of beauty, a living breathing dragon of a motorbike. She's _gorgeous_. Stop looking at me like that."

"Denial is not thy friend," Sai replied, his mouth curving slightly as he watched Naruto fume. Sai had dark hair cut short and a curiously blank face, like a blank canvas Naruto had once joked. He wore all black, a tight T-shirt and skinny jeans with a blazer. Naruto took in his appearance with a glance as they started to walk by silent agreement towards the main campus.

"Nice outfit," Naruto commented. Sai looked blank for a second, then a small frown appeared between his eyebrows, barely there.

"I wear this sort of thing everyday, Naruto. Perhaps you should see the doctor if your memory is failing you," he suggested pleasantly. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha, I was kidding," Naruto said darkly as they left the car park and took a crowded path towards the arts building.

"Are you finished moving into your apartment now?" Sai asked, his voice quiet but smooth.

"Yup!" Naruto announced with a wide smile, shifting his gaze away from the skyline and onto his friend. "Moved the last of my stuff in on the weekend." Sai nodded, his eyes attentive. Naruto had initially thought that Sai was stuck up and rude, but later learnt that his attitude came from a lack of social skills rather than malice. Although he could be oddly perceptive and sometimes still said weird things, the two were good friends. They were both on part-time courses at the university, Sai was doing art and Naruto journalism, but they lived in the same area (the same street as Zabuza's apartment and two minutes away from his new one) and frequented the same haunts.

"Will you be wanting your box back?" Sai asked. Naruto was for a second confused before the words clicked.

"Oh, yeah! That'd be great. I can come over after class- no I wanted to go visit Haku, um tomorrow then? Ack I have to do shopping then..." Naruto rambled, counting off the days on his fingers.

"It's fine, I will deliver it in a few days, I have the address of your new apartment," Sai said. "After all, it is traditional for someone to visit a new house and bring gifts."

"Uhm, okay," Naruto said, wondering whether he should point out that his own belongings didn't count as gifts. "This is my room." He stopped outside a door, adjusting the strap of his bag so it didn't dig into his shoulder so much.

"I'm downstairs," Sai informed him, before pausing, then carrying on. "Will you be working tonight?"

"Sure thing," Naruto answered over his shoulder as he pushed the door open. "See you then?"

"Most likely," Sai replied seriously. Naruto snorted as his friend's bizarre nature as he entered the classroom.

"Alright, bye!" he waved and watched as Sai mechanically waved back, looking as though the motion was confusing for him, before walking away.

College, for Naruto, was a confusing thing. He had struggled his way through high school, registering here and there, whenever they settled down for long enough. Of course, he'd had to wait a while until the authorities had stopped looking for him and Haku, but as Haku had reassured him when they'd left, the police had better things to do than search for two runaways who didn't _want_ to be found. Despite that, he'd altered his details a little whenever he registered for schools, had Zabuza get him whatever documents he needed, and by the time he had gotten around to graduating they had been far enough away and enough time had passed for him to get a diploma in his real name. Apparently the long arm of the law didn't like to actually travel that far. Naruto reckoned its limit was about 875km, give or take a state. Once he had graduated, he had pictured an idyllic life of slouching around the apartment, weekends on the beach, sleeping in until midday. That lasted for the first month of the holiday, after which he realised that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life working for Zabuza, and waited until they settled down again before enrolling in college. They had ended up in a city next to their home town, but since both Naruto and Haku were over eighteen, it wasn't considered a problem, their missing persons' case having been shunted to the 'unsolved' pile a long time ago.

Originally, Naruto had signed up for full time courses, but after a few days of working until the early hours and then trying to get up in time for nine o'clock starts, Haku told him to either switch his timetable or drop out. Naruto had eventually found a course with classes to suit him, and settled into a routine he was comfortable with.

The class was on the gutter press. They looked at examples and discussed methods informally, before their teacher went through a few structures and techniques used. Naruto couldn't get over how different college was from high school. He'd take journalism over equations any day of the week. Some parts of high school, he did remember fondly, he'd admit. Mr Umino for one, he was always tempted to look up, even though he knew it was a definite bad idea. But thinking of the past was fruitless and a pastime he rarely indulged in.

"Today your assignment is to write something bad," their teacher announced, lounging lazily against the front of his desk. He was Naruto's favourite lecturer, in his mid-forties, with shaggy white hair. He often alarmed the students with his tendency towards the perverse, and it was rumoured that he had written a series of adult novels that had an underground cult following. Regardless, he was popular. There was a ripple of interest across the class as they digested his words.

"Easy, I'll just hand in the history paper I did on Anglo-American relations and failed," one student muttered, causing a swell of laughter before it petered out. Their lecturer laughed too, his eyes crinkling into a smile.

"Ah, but it's not so easy. You have to write something bad, that people would read," he amended, watching the looks of comprehension flutter across his students' faces.

"Like this stuff?" one of the female students said, holding up a copy of one of the trashier newspapers, a look of disgust on her face.

"Exactly. We've talked about it today, and you can see that although the stories don't appeal to a higher intellect, they're compelling. People flock to buy these papers, hell, many are distributed freely and operate solely on advertising."

"But Jiraiya," Naruto spoke up, an eyebrow raised. "It's crap."

"Precisely. And it earns good money. What does that tell you?"

"Crap sells?" Naruto ventured, his voice dubious.

"Beautifully put, Naruto. Crap does indeed sell. The filthier the better," Jiraiya said, his eyes filled with glee as he rubbed his hands together. Naruto felt slightly disturbed. "So, write something awful. I can't wait to see what you all come up with. Use the normal criteria. That's all for today."

There were an assortment of screeches as the students pushed their chairs out and stood up, packing their things away. Naruto casually greeted a few people that walked past him, chatting a little to them before leaving himself. As he was about to pass through the door, he heard someone call his name, and turned to see the teacher beckoning to him. Surprised he moved to the desk, waiting for the older man to speak.

"Got any ideas for the paper?" Jiraiya asked, cutting straight to the point, his eyes bright. Naruto shrugged.

"Not yet, I hadn't really thought about this sort of writing before," he admitted, scratching his chin nervously. His teacher lent back against the desk, arms crossed.

"Really? You should," he said bluntly.

"What? Why?"

"You're not a bad writer," his teacher started casually, as though Naruto had asked a different question. "You've made decent marks on your assignments so far. Your structure is a little sloppy however, your vocabulary while not debilitating is weak, and your grasp of political issues is practically non-existent." Naruto started to protest, but was cut off by the wave of a hand. "I'm not saying this to simply criticise you, I'm saying it because I think you have talent. Most of the people in this class will never become journalists, which is why I'm not wasting my time on them. You however, just might. You have an edge to your pieces that allows people to connect with you, and that's a good quality."

Naruto stared for a moment, unused to being praised, regardless of how convoluted it was.

"So, what are you saying?" he asked finally.

"I'm saying, do the assignment as well as you can, improve your vocab and try to catch up with foreign affairs. The piece is due a week Monday, after I mark it we'll talk again."

"Okay," Naruto said slowly, not quite sure what had just happened. "Sure, thanks," he added, before briskly walking outside feeling dazed. He'd been telling Haku and Zabuza and Sai ever since he enrolled on the course that he was going to be a great journalist, but to have someone who actually knew a thing or two about the publishing industry telling him he had talent... It was unexpected and exhilarating.

By the time Naruto made his way back to his pride and joy, it was about four o'clock. Sai didn't finish his classes until much later, generally staying late to make use of the campus resources, and they'd probably bump into each other later, so Naruto decided to visit Haku, as he'd promised, still feeling light-headed from his teacher's comments.

They'd settled in the city about six months ago, at which point Naruto had made his intentions to attend college official. Zabuza hadn't cared either way, so long as Naruto could still work when he needed him. Naruto had been excited, thinking that he and Haku could go to college just like everyone else, so he had been surprised when Haku had declined with a small smile.

"But, don't you want to go?" Naruto had asked, confused and a little hurt. They'd always done everything together, ever since they met. Haku had given a small, delicate shrug. It was a new gesture and one that Naruto didn't particularly like.

"Why would I?" Haku asked, his hair falling forward over his shoulder. "I have everything I want already. There's no point me going to college. But you should go. It'd be good for you." Naruto had wanted to be angry, had felt somehow that he could be angry, but Haku's eyes were so earnest and warm that he had just let it go.

Haku had seemed content to spend his days cleaning their apartment and cooking, but Zabuza suggested he get a part-time job to give him a bit of time outside, and Haku had readily complied, finding a job surprisingly easily. He worked in a craft shop four days a week and since it wasn't far from Naruto's university campus, he often whiled away what was left of his afternoon there.

When he arrived, he parked in his usual place, carefully locking up his bike and giving it a farewell pat. Upon walking into the small store, instead of a single bell ringing, the breeze caught a selection of wind chimes hanging in the window, playing out a harmony of notes. Inside the shop was a treasure trove; everything from beaded cushions, dream catchers, home-made key rings and decorative pottery was sold, bright colours sprang from every surface and at each turn something new caught the eye.

"Hello, Naruto," Haku said from the counter as Naruto navigated his way around a display of beanbags, making sure his bag didn't get caught on a wayward ribbon or chain.

"Hey, Haku," Naruto called back, finally making it to the counter. The shop, although having its regular customers and attracting enough curious eyes to keep it in business, was never particularly busy, and Haku's boss didn't mind him chatting to Naruto while he worked, said it helped the ambiance of the place. "Good day?"

"So-so, you?" Haku's voice was calm, as usual. He was sorting through a selection of necklaces, separating them into different baskets that were lined up in front of him. Half of his hair was up. Naruto could always tell the time of day from the way Haku was doing his hair. In the mornings, when he was cleaning, he put it all up, in the afternoons when he was working, he kept half of it up and out of the way. In the evenings he left it down, so that it fell teasingly over his shoulder whenever he bent down, and fanned out around him when he turned.

"Pretty good," Naruto said, opening the folding chair that was propped against the wall and sitting to the side of the till so that he didn't obstruct any customers. "Met Sai, went to class. They gave us a weird assignment."

"Sai?" Haku asked, briefly glancing up to meet Naruto's eyes, before retuning his concentration to the task at hand.

"Asked if I was banging my baby." He frowned, then amended. "My bike, I mean." Haku smiled, his eyes narrowing with repressed laughter.

"Weird assignment?"

"We have to write something bad, that people will want to read. Like some sordid expose, I suppose," Naruto said, flipping his bag open and looking inside.

"Why don't you interview yourself about the truth concerning your illicit affair with your motorcycle?" Haku suggested looking up. Naruto glared at him, and he glanced back down at the necklaces. "I'm just saying. The public deserves to know." Naruto decided not to reply verbally, but instead made his displeasure known by giving Haku the two finger salute.

"I'm supposed to take my inspiration from this," Naruto said, getting out one of the papers they'd been studying in class with a look of distaste. "It's just so... trashy. Maybe I should switch to photo journalism. Sai'd help me out."

"I'm sure you'll write a great article, Naruto," Haku said softly, his voice causing Naruto to look up from the paper he was holding gingerly, but Haku didn't meet his eyes, studiously filling the baskets and arranging them. "If anyone knows trash, it's us." Naruto blinked, then nodded in comprehension.

"Heh," he laughed mirthlessly. "I guess you're right." He paused, considered, then ploughed on. "Weird thing actually, the guy taking my class, my teacher, he spoke to me afterwards. Told me he thinks I could be a decent journalist." Haku snorted softly.

"A 'decent' journalist?"

"Yeah, I know I'm always saying I'm gonna be a journalist but... d'ya think he's right?" Naruto asked hopefully watching Haku straighten up the baskets.

"No," he said bluntly. "You're not going to be a 'decent' journalist. You're going to be a great one."

Naruto looked at him with big blue eyes, his surprise slowly eclipsed by happiness at the comment.

"Really? You think?" Naruto asked. "I mean, well, obviously! I told you, didn't I? I'm gonna be a freakin' awesome journalist, just you wait. Anyway, I can't chat now, I should do some work on this assignment, I'll see you tonight?" He was already standing, stuffing the newspaper back into his bag and exiting the shop, narrowly missing a browsing customer as he did so. "See ya!"

"Bye, Naruto," Haku said with a small smile, before turning to serve a waiting customer.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my lovely beta Frickative who is an awful person.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

Sunset found Naruto back in his flat, sitting on the creaky sofa in the living room as it was the most spacious room in the place, although that wasn't saying much. Still, it had a decent sized window that wasn't covered in mildew, and so he liked to brainstorm there, writing anything that came to mind in his notebook. His laptop was in front of him but closed, there was no need to turn it on unless he decided on what to write. The laptop was a gift from Haku, which was really convenient, because after buying his bike, paying for petrol and insurance, college fees and now the rent on his apartment, his funds were running rather dry. The gift had been extravagant, but Haku insisted, saying he didn't have anything to spend the money he earned on anyway, and Naruto couldn't keep using the computers in the library to type up his assignments.

The page of his notebook was covered in ideas, scribbles, question marks, arrows and the more recent additions, doodles. He was drawing a bubble around where he'd written 'Haku' in blocky letters, when his phone went off, filling the small apartment with the same ringtone. His phone was in his pocket, and he had to wiggle around to get it out, before answering.

"Yello?"

"It's me," Haku's voice was clear across the line.

"I know," Naruto said, flipping his notebook closed and throwing it on the sofa cushion before standing and giving a stretch.

"You're okay?"

"Yup, be there in fifteen. Outfit?"

"Something bright. Don't forget the eyeliner."

"I wont!" Naruto insisted, moving into his bedroom and opening the wardrobe doors. "Sheesh, I know if I do you'll make me wear your liquid crap."

"Good." A pause. "I got you some new ramen, seafood flavour, so you can have it in your break."

"Haku, you rock," Naruto said, a wide grin spilling across his face. He propped his phone between his ear and his shoulder, digging into the pile of clothes he kept at the bottom of his wardrobe. His everyday clothes were messy and strewn on the floor, but Zabuza didn't like it when he turned up to work looking shabby, so he kept his work clothes more tidily.

"See you later," Haku hung up with a click and Naruto closed his phone, putting it on the chest of drawers. For his clothes, he got out a tight fitting orange T-shirt with purple printing on it and some black combats that had various buckles and chains that would clink when he moved. He took a quick shower and dressed, leaving the thin ribbon of his boxers peaking above the combats, and having them low enough on his hips that a glimpse of tan skin appeared when he walked. He spiked a dollop of hair gel into his mop of blond hair, getting it to stick up in some places, and fall over his eyes in others. Then he applied eyeliner with a practiced hand, heavy above his eyes and lighter below, followed by a dab of aftershave and some lip balm to his chapped lips. When they'd started this a few years ago, Naruto had been aghast at the idea of putting on _makeup_, but nowadays he didn't care so much. It didn't make him look like a girl and the clients seemed to like it. He drew the line at lip-gloss and mascara which Haku used minimally. If it smelt like synthetic cherries, he didn't want it on his lips. That was a rule he followed in all aspects of his life.

Satisfied with his appearance, he grabbed his bag and his phone and left his room, grabbing a chocolate bar from a cupboard in the kitchen in case he got hungry. He took the newspaper he'd been given in class out and dropped it on the sofa next to his notebook, hoping he could get inspiration from it later. With a quick glance around the apartment, he picked up his helmet and left, locking it behind him.

It took him ten minutes to get to the bar, and he entered through the back after locking his bike up. The back was taken up with staff facilities; bathroom and lounge where most people took their breaks. The rooms were small and run-down, but the lounge had a tiny kitchenette with a sink, microwave and kettle that Naruto used to make ramen. There were only two people there, and Naruto greeted them as he put his things in the row of lockers lining the lounge. He didn't know most of the workers more than vaguely, but he was on good terms with everyone.

Past the staff area, there was a corridor with private rooms on either side. The floor was covered in a dark red carpet and the walls were black. As Naruto walked down, he could hear laughter coming through the walls and the music which had been a background rhythm before intensified. The corridor ended with a black door that Naruto pushed open, entering the main area of the bar. It was a dimly lit large room, with a low ceiling. To the left of the door Naruto had entered from, the rest of the wall was taken up by the bar itself, a black counter with stools lined up against it behind which two people were serving drinks and chatting to the customers. There were also several booths where people were sitting and chatting, as well as a corded off area. A pool table sat near the back, its green felt dark in the dim light. The music as usual was loud and relentless and the air smoky, making Naruto's eyes sting as he adjusted to it. The bar had its own regular clientele, and Zabuza liked to use it to conduct a lot of business meetings, which was how Naruto had landed the job in the first place.

"Hey," a voice said directly into his ear, and he glanced back to see Haku. The music coupled with the babble of conversation rising from every corner made it difficult to hear each other unless very close.

"Hi," Naruto replied, giving his friend's appearance a glance. Haku was wearing his hair down as usual, so that it fell in straight soft lines around his face. His eyeliner was dark and there seemed to be a little colour on his lips too, making them look fuller. He had a black long sleeved top made of a shimmery material that tied at the sides, giving leaving teasing patches of his skin exposed, and black silk trousers. "Urg. No way in hell are you ever going to get me in silk trousers."

"That's just because you know you'll never look as good as I do in them," Haku shot back lightly, flipping his hair back over his shoulder and giving Naruto a superior look. Naruto smiled widely, and for a second it was just like old times, when they used to tease each other and the only thing that could ever come between them was whether they should get a budgie or a parrot. Then someone laughed, the eight ball ricocheted off the edge of the table and Haku's attention shifted.

"What's the set up?" Naruto asked, sensing his friend's distraction with a little irritation.

"Nothing major," Haku replied, his eyes trailing around the room. "In the second room there's a woman that's a possible client, and up at the bar there's a couple of guys that keep getting rowdy. Zabuza is in room seven, sorting something out about a job and I've already left refreshments in there so don't disturb him unless he asks."

Naruto didn't bother pointing out that if Zabuza wanted something, by the time he heard about it Haku would have already carried the order out to the most minute detail. He was tempted to ask what business Zabuza was conducting in one of the private rooms, but knew that Haku would say something vague and non-committal, and didn't feel like getting brushed off like that.

"Alright, any preferences?" he asked instead.

"I'll take the guys, you take the woman," Haku said without preamble. It was always the same anyway. Haku's demure and compliant nature tended to cater well to the male customers, while at counterpoint, Naruto's loud and confident attitude attracted the females.

"Got it," Naruto said. "How long has she been here?"

"About half an hour, gone through one margarita and now on a beer. She's going to want to speak to Zabuza and he's busy right now, so keep her distracted."

"D'you know how long he'll be?"

"Anything from another half an hour to three, you know how these things are," Haku gave a shrug, his hair shining under the dim lights, catching the movement. "Take your break at half ten."

"Alright," Naruto agreed. Haku brushed his arm discretely, before disappearing through the door.

The woman Haku had told him about was in her late twenties, early thirties, and was the sharp, snappy sort of woman that could crush a man under a stiletto heel without letting her red-lipstick smile falter for a second. She was friendly enough, laughing at Naruto's jokes, brushing her hand along his when he put the drinks on the table, and occasionally asking him to sit with her and chat. Although Naruto appreciated the reprise from standing and serving other customers, talking with the clients was a double edged sword. Everyone, without exception, that walked through the doors to the bar wanted something, and often it was information. They liked to ask loaded questions, try to get tell-tale reactions, those that acted friendly were usually more dangerous than the ones that just tried undisguised intimidation techniques.

This wasn't the first bar or club they'd worked in. Wherever they were based, Zabuza liked to set up shop in various establishments owned by some contact, so that he could negotiate and deal privately. They'd been in much seedier places than this, Naruto remembered with a shudder. When Naruto had turned fourteen, Zabuza had considered them old enough to work whenever they could, although Haku insisted that it shouldn't interfere with Naruto's school work. Initially Naruto had been against the idea, but Haku had cajoled him, telling him it wouldn't be so bad. And it wasn't. They had started out simply bar tending or taking drinks to tables, nothing complicated. As they had grown older their appearances had gained them attention, Haku for his coy, demure exterior, and Naruto for his bright colouring and charisma and so they had started dressing to please. What did it matter, Naruto had thought, if he tugged his jeans a little lower, wore a tighter T-shirt, let Haku outline his eyes in thick kohl. It made the clients happier and more generous in their tips. Maybe it wasn't the way that a sixteen year old should be earning pocket money, but he hadn't been a normal sixteen year old, and the world wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.

Now, he was far more comfortable with his work, clients generally liked him and he could put them at ease. Some nights there weren't any specific people to wait on, and he just served behind the bar, which suited him fine. On quiet nights, both he and Haku sometimes worked closely together, so he could chat to the other boy freely. Tonight Haku was flitting around the group of males, keeping them occupied with fresh beers whenever they wanted them and answering politely whenever they asked him something. More often than Naruto would like to admit, customers tried to take advantage of Haku, mistaking his feminine appearance to belie fragility. Haku had however been bullied a lot as he grew up, even after meeting Naruto, and as a result knew a fair amount of self defence which he executed quietly and efficiently. Naruto or Zabuza always appeared to escort the assailant out of the building.

At about ten o'clock, half way through a conversation in which the woman asked Naruto about college and his course, no doubt building up to an interrogation, she received a phone call, so Naruto went back to the bar where two tired looking office workers were drinking themselves into oblivion. Haku's rowdy group had left, and in their place was a student with dyed silver hair. A cute looking girl had taken a seat at the other end. When the woman finished her phone call, she caught his eye and beckoned him back over to the table.

"Is everything alright?" he asked when he returned standing in front of her. She flashed him a charming smile, a glimmer of white teeth peeking out from between her red lips. There was a lipstick stain on the bottle of her beer, so she must have reapplied it when he wasn't looking.

"Everything's fine Naruto," she said coyly, her eyes playful. "I just did so want to speak to your boss. Could you be a sweetheart and find out if he's free?" The request was coupled with the woman taking one of his hands in her cool one and pressing a dry, folded note into his palm.

"Certainly," Naruto complied with an easy smile. "I'll check right away." He turned away, discretely pocketing the money without looking and walking to the door to the back. He wasn't going to check on Zabuza, since the man refused to admit anyone while he was in a meeting, and Haku had yet to inform him the meeting was over, but customers liked to see that their requests were being carried out, so the usual thing to do was walk into the staff lounge for a few minutes and then return to make apologies.

As he walked down the corridor, he noted the private room that Haku had told him Zabuza was in earlier was slightly open, the light still on, suggesting that it had been recently vacated. Zabuza was probably in the staff lounge then, taking a break. Naruto slowed his footsteps, intending to turn out the light and close the door, but halted when he saw a movement of shadow through the partially open door. Frowning, he stepped quietly closer. The rooms were strictly for business only. When they were in use they were shut with the light on. When they were empty they were locked with the light off.

He crept closer, making sure the chains on his trousers didn't make and noise, and looked through the gap.

The rooms were each set up differently, depending on how casual or formal the situation was. This was one of the more casual, with a low round coffee table set with light refreshments and drinks in the centre, surrounded by sofas and chairs. The seats were a dark green, and in front of the table, Haku was kissing Zabuza.

It was a hungry, needy sort of a kiss, with Haku's arms wound tightly around Zabuza's neck, pulling him down so that their mouths could mesh. The older man had one hand on his partner's hip, and one on the back of his neck, but Haku... Haku had pressed himself tightly against Zabuza, winding himself like a ribbon. His fingers clutched at the other tightly, in contrast to the light, teasing movements of his hips. It was too intimate, too desperate, and Naruto couldn't look away.

The two parted, after several seconds in which Naruto's heart beat thudded erratically in his chest, each contraction painful. He had known, known that there was _something_ between those two, that their relationship was different to the one he had with them, but _this?_ What even was it? Love? Lust? Convenience?

As he watched, Zabuza moved his head away, saying something that Naruto didn't quite catch, but he saw the blush on Haku's cheeks, the pleased smile. Haku giggled a little, a frivolous, ridiculous sound that Naruto had never heard before, and his stomach flipped. Haku moved back, pulling his top down where it had ridden up and running fingers through his hair, Naruto felt sick. This wasn't an awkward, awe filled post-first kiss moment. This was a practised, familiar routine of getting presentable in order to maintain a facade. How long had this been going on for? Did everyone know? Was he the only one stupid, naive enough to have not picked up on the hints, on the tension? A new wave of nausea hit him. Were they _sleeping together_? If he went back to their old apartment, would he find Haku's things moved into Zabuza's room? So many things made sense, slotting into place, like turning a key in a lock.

Self preservation kicked in and he turned around awkwardly, tearing his eyes away from the scene and walking as quietly as possible back to the bar. The relief he felt when he stepped into the smoke filled room did nothing to quell the dark rolling in his stomach. He looked around blankly, with no idea what he was looking for. A time machine maybe, to go back in time and _not look_. Or would it be any better to still be ignorant? To be the blind idiot? The woman at the booth caught his eye and he walked over numbly.

"Yes?" he asked dully. The woman frowned a little, her smile faltering at his tone.

"Well? Is he able to meet with me or not?" she asked, a little impatiently, her nails drumming against the table top.

"Yeah, he'll be right out," Naruto replied in the same manner, turning abruptly and walking back to the bar. He was just stacking a few bottles under the counter when he felt a light tap at his elbow.

"Hey, it's your break now," Haku said. Naruto stared at him. He looked exactly the same as he always did; heart shaped face, long straight hair. He'd even reapplied his lip-gloss. If Naruto hadn't seen them, he could almost believe... "Naruto?"

Across the room Zabuza was slipping into the booth across from the woman, who looked pleased, crossing her legs and leaning forward boldly. He looked the same too.

"Naruto?"

"Huh?" Naruto looked back at Haku whose face was etched with concern.

"Are you okay?"

"'M fine," Naruto said, trying to wave it off. Was it just him, or did Haku's lips look the tiniest bit swollen?

"You don't look fine," Haku said seriously bringing his hand up to check Naruto's temperature. For some reason Naruto flinched at the touch, moving away. Haku frowned, his face serious. "Naruto, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Naruto insisted, waving his hands in front of him.

"Look, why don't you go home and sleep? I'll explain to Zabuza," Haku suggested. Naruto had been ready to insist his good-health and force a smile, but the mention of Zabuza caused everything to grow hazy and clarify at the same time.

"I bet you will," he said sarcastically, eyes narrowing. Haku stepped back, as if he'd been physically pushed.

"What?" Haku watched him warily, like he was a wild animal that might lash out an any moment. That was a rather apt description of how Naruto felt. He wanted to shout and scream and _condemn_. He felt betrayed and he didn't know why. He held Haku's gaze for a second before looking away.

"Nothing. You're right, I'm sick. I'm gonna go home."

"Naruto, wha-"

Naruto ignored him, brushing past and out of the door. He heard Haku call after him, heard the worry in his voice, but couldn't find it in himself to care.

*

Naruto's face was pressed into the bed sheets, arms tight around a pillow when his phone rang, the usual rock music blasting out from the small device. He let out a little groan, rolling onto his back and looking at the ceiling. It was white, and there was a grey hand mark directly above him. He had kicked off his covers at some point during the night but the sun was coming in directly through his window so that he stayed warm. The fact that the window let through an unobstructed view of sunshine at the time of day that he normally woke up was probably the only good thing about the apartment. He listened to the ringtone, for once not enjoying hearing his favourite song and contemplated not picking it up. With a snort, he got out of bed. He was awake already, and Haku would only call back.

He stumbled out of bed, tripping over a shoe and then grabbed his bag and tipped it upside down so that his phone fell out.

"Hey Haku," he said as a greeting.

"There's such a thing as caller ID, Naruto. It's a clever invention which allows you to know who is calling you before you pick up the phone."

"Sai?" Naruto asked, clearing his throat a little so he didn't sound so groggy. "Sorry, I didn't expect you to call. What's up?"

"I was checking to see if you were okay," Sai replied, his voice polite. "You weren't at the club last night."

"Oh, yeah," said Naruto, remembering the past night's events more clearly. "Sorry, I didn't feel so great, I went home early."

"That's what Haku said."

"Yeah."

"Do you think you have mumps?" Sai enquired blandly.

"Ehh? What? No!" Naruto said. Trust Sai to come out with something unexpected like that.

"I hear it's going around our university," Sai pressed. Naruto shook his head humourlessly.

"I'm pretty sure I don't have mumps," he said firmly.

"What about pneumonia?" Sai suggested.

"It's June, Sai," Naruto pointed out blankly, scratching at his shoulder and looking around his room in distaste. He couldn't see any carpet at all.

"Still, it's been cooler than usual this year."

"Not cool enough," Naruto insisted. "Look, don't worry, I'm fine."

"Very well, if you are sure." A pause. "You don't have class today do you?

"Nah, but I'm gonna start on an assignment."

"Okay. I will see you tomorrow then." Sai hung up and Naruto stared at his phone for a second, amused by his friend's eccentricity. He left his phone on his unmade bed and went into the bathroom, only to return a few seconds later when it started to ring again.

"I haven't got meningitis, Sai," he said after pressing the receive button.

"While that's good to know Naruto, there's this interesting little invention that we use nowadays, it's called 'caller ID.' Incredibly futuristic, allows you to see who is calling before you pick up."

"Haku?"

"Yes, very good."

"Oh," said Naruto dumbly. "Hi." The light-hearted feeling he'd gained from talking to Sai abruptly disappeared and he felt his mood plummet. It's too early to face this, he thought to himself. I'm not ready.

"Are you feeling better?" Haku asked. Just like the normal conversations they always had and not at all what Naruto wanted right now. What he wanted was Haku to say 'Hey, you know I have an identical twin who was around last night and he hooked up with Zabuza! How weird is that!?' He didn't think it was likely though.

"Um, yeah. I'm fine," Naruto said, sitting back heavily on his bed and tugging at the duvet.

"You don't sound fine," Haku said warily, concern in his tone.

"'m just a little tired," Naruto said, adding a forced laugh. "Not used to so much sleep."

"I see," Haku replied. "Do you want me to come over?"

"No, it's fine." _I don't want to see you._ "I'm fine. I'm just going to work. I'm sure you have better things to do."

"All right," Haku agreed slowly. "Zabuza did want me to help-" Naruto interrupted him, he couldn't help it. He knew he was being rude but he couldn't listen to Haku talk about Zabuza right now, didn't want to hear the older man's name. Didn't want to _think_ about it.

"Yeah, like I said, I'm fine."

"Okay, if you say so," Haku was getting irritated, Naruto could hear it in his voice. He probably thought Naruto was being unreasonable. "We're working on Friday evening by the way. Zabuza wants us to be there while he fixes a deal."

"Got it," Naruto said blankly. "Bye." He hung up without waiting for an answer and flopped back on the bed. He stared at the ceiling, but all he saw was Haku's hands clinging to Zabuza. He groaned and pulled the pillow over his face.

*

For the next few days Naruto went to class and to work and tried to get ideas for his assignment. He avoided seeing Haku at the craft shop and made up excuses to keep himself busy while he worked so that they didn't talk much. He knew he was hurting his friend, but just couldn't bring himself to act like nothing was wrong. His distraction made writing his article near impossible. Every time he opened his notebook to write, he'd find himself seeing Haku's face, every word he wrote he linked back to the two of them. It was just so _wrong_. Back when he'd met Zabuza for the first time, he naively had assumed the two were just friends. And what's more, had Zabuza had his eye on Haku since then? How long had it been going on for? Currently, the age gap of fifteen years or so was concerning, but eight years ago Haku had been a child and the idea of anything between them was perverse. He knew that Haku had always been the favourite, that he was just the tag along, but he'd never felt like a third wheel until now.

And so he brushed off Haku's concern with excuses and pretences, and acted like he couldn't see the disapproving looks Zabuza was giving him. So what if he hurt Haku's feelings? His friend could run off to his _lover_ and get him to kiss it better. He kept telling himself that he didn't care, that they could do whatever they wanted, and that as soon as he finished college and got a bit of money together he would _leave_ and make his own life without them.

Friday was when it all went to hell.

It started with the discovery of an old friend. Naruto, in his despair, had chucked his notebook across the room and turned to the day's newspaper, hoping to grasp some form of inspiration from the printed words. The front page article he had already read a few times, something to do with some revealing pictures from a reality TV show. Naruto wrinkled his nose as he glanced at it. While the writing wasn't bad, he couldn't believe that people could get any satisfaction from writing things like this. The next page had pictures of celebrities in various states of undress, then there was some critiquing of various outfits worn to a premier, and a story about a chimp that had its own iPod. (Naruto read the last one with interest.)

It was when he turned to the centrefold that he found himself looking a blown up photograph of Sasuke Uchiha kissing another man.

He would have recognised him even without the helpful heading of 'Sasuke Uchiha, Out of the Closet!' but it helped his shocked brain to digest the sudden information. It had been about eight years since he'd seen Sasuke, but the man in the photograph, lips passionately pressed against a man with dyed silver hair was reminiscent of the boy Naruto had once known. He had the same hair that stuck up at the back and his fringe still fell on either side of his face, exposing a wide forehead and a widow's peak Naruto had never really noticed. His skin was still that ghostly pale that had made Naruto think he was albino, but he was clearly much older, had lost the baby fat on his cheeks and the vulnerability he seemed to possess as a child.

Naruto stared at the photograph dumbly, taking in Sasuke's new appearance before hungrily reading the article. It was the typical kind, 'International businessman blah blah, worth millions blah blah, split with fiancée, seen in early hours of the morning lip-locked.' Utter trash. Naruto read it twice. It had been a long time since he had thought about Sasuke. Since that terrible night that still haunted him sometimes, whenever there was a power outage or a tap was left dripping, he hadn't seen the boy face to face. When he had found out that Sasuke wasn't returning to school he had gone back to the house, only to find police swarming over it, and that Sasuke already left. The initial relief he had felt over Sasuke being safe and alive turned to confusion when he read the papers or watched the news, desperate for any information on his friend. Rather than Itachi being arrested, both brothers were looked upon as victims of the tragedy, having been robbed of both their parents in one day, while the authorities searched for the mysterious murderer. Naruto didn't understand at all; he knew the murderer was Itachi, Sasuke knew the murderer was Itachi, so why didn't anyone else? He didn't understand it for the longest time. He considered going to the police himself but always deciding against it, since if Sasuke didn't want them to know, he probably had a good reason. After he ran away with Haku he had kept an ear out for any information about Sasuke, although his story had eventually sunk out of the spotlight. Although Naruto never had parents, never had a brother, he tried to imagine what he would have done if Haku had killed Mr Umino. He would be furious, upset and hurt, but he wouldn't hand Haku over to the police. He figured that was how Sasuke felt.

Since they settled down, he'd heard precious little about his one time friend. He knew that he and Itachi had inherited their father's company and it was flourishing. While they were both rather reclusive, occasionally they would be mentioned in the papers, and Naruto knew that they lived in the same city to him, albeit in vastly differing neighbourhoods. He had considered searching him out, calling into his office with a 'hey Sasuke, remember me? The kid that called you an albino when you were twelve?' but never did. For one thing, there was no reason Sasuke should remember someone that had only been in his class for such a short time. When they were kids, a month working on a project was like a lifetime. Now, in his early twenties, a month when he was twelve was like a drop in the ocean; the ripples disappeared long before they reached the shore. For another thing, he didn't have anything to say to Sasuke. It wasn't like they could start their friendship again. Sasuke was a successful businessman, and Naruto was an aspiring journalist that worked in a bar in the evenings, aiding and abetting activities which were considered illegal in most parts of the world. The only thing they had in common was that they were two of three living people that knew that eight years ago Itachi Uchiha had murdered his mother and father.

With that in mind, the article, although interesting, meant little, Naruto realised. In fact, all it meant was even Sasuke Uchiha, who had the personality of a mechanical pencil, was getting some action, while Naruto got nothing. What a sad state of affairs.

He'd gotten pretty, Naruto noted idly, his eyes trailing down the strong jaw, drawn to the thick dark lashes. Not feminine, but definitely easy on the eyes… With an irritated sigh he threw the paper next to him on the couch and leaned back, tipping his head up. He _really_ needed a girlfriend. His whole life would be nicer if he had a girlfriend. Someone to talk to, someone to come home to. Someone to hold at night. A precious person. If he had been asked a week ago who his precious person was, he would have replied 'Haku' without a second of thought. But now it was clear that _he_ wasn't _Haku's_ important person, so the scale had tipped and he suddenly found himself odd man out. He imagined the perfect girlfriend, with generous curves, a cute smile, sparkling eyes, someone who would laugh at his jokes and press little kisses against his cheeks. He was picturing them running through a sunlit field, skipping merrily, hands linked, a baby deer prancing along next to them, when his phone rang.

The ringtone was really beginning to grate, so he answered it quickly.

"Yello?"

"Zabuza wants us ready in twenty minutes," Haku's voice came through. He had given up on niceties after Naruto ignored all of his efforts.

"Got it," Naruto replied, hanging up with a scowl. He stood, stretching and then sauntered into the bedroom, considering the pros and cons of being late. On the upside, it would piss Zabuza off. On the downside, it would piss Zabuza off.

This sort of work was different from just bartending, and Zabuza liked them to look smart. Naruto dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and blue tie. Personally he thought it was overkill, but he didn't make the rules. At least for this sort of work he wasn't required to wear eyeliner. He left the suit jacket off, so that he could wear his motorbike jacket on top.

It was evening, much later than he usually left for work, and the air was cooling now that the sun was down. The ride to the bar was short and Zabuza and Haku were waiting for him in the lounge when he entered. He scowled as his eyes immediately scanned them for flushed complexions, tousled hair, rumpled clothes - anything suggestive. It was ridiculous, he knew, and more than a little disturbing, but he couldn't help it. Although Haku was dressed similarly to him, with a brown tie instead, he noted with irritation that Zabuza wasn't wearing a suit. Zabuza never wore a suit, he let Naruto and Haku deal with strangulation by ties and itchy collars instead.

"Hey Naruto," Haku greeted softly as Naruto entered and walked to his locker, digging in his pocket for the key and opening it.

"Hey," he said shortly, glancing up before focusing back on stuffing his things into his locker, then shrugging on his jacket. "What's the deal?" Haku looked displeased at his brusque nature, and from the sofa Zabuza's mouth thinned slightly. He probably didn't like people upsetting his sex toy, Naruto thought with a sneer.

"Zabuza is holding a meeting with some business guy that we worked for a few months back, just general follow up," Haku explained, glancing at Zabuza as he spoke, as though gaining reassurance from his presence.

"Got it," Naruto said. "So what are we doing?" He smoothed down the lapels of his jacket and pulled his shirt cuffs down a little.

"I'm using room eight, so you two just show them in when they arrive, then call me, and while we're talking, stand outside and look smart," Zabuza interjected. Naruto nodded, and headed to the door.

"Naruto," Haku said behind him as soon as they got into the hall, tugging slightly on his arm. "Wait a second." Naruto turned, giving an impatient look.

"What is it?"

"I just-" Haku exhaled loudly, frowning at Naruto. "What's going on with you?" Naruto was ready to deny everything, but the frankness in Haku's voice made him reconsider. "You've been acting weird all week," Haku continued, seeing that Naruto seemed more willing to talk than usual. "Are you angry about something?"

"I just-" Naruto sighed, his eyes conveying a plethora of emotions. Haku waited patiently as he fumbled for words. "I-"

"Hey, Naruto, Haku, the guys Zabuza's waiting for are out front," someone called through the door to the bar, interrupting them. Naruto closed his eyes.

"Naruto, what-?" Haku started to ask, willing to continue their conversation, but Naruto shook his head.

"It can wait. We'll talk after."

"Alright," Haku agreed, following Naruto down the corridor and into the bar.

It was near to eleven o'clock, so the inhabitants of the bar had changed from those that came earlier in the evening to have a few drinks with friends, to those interested in drinking until they were sweating alcohol, along with those that wanted to speak with Zabuza. The people they were supposed to be meeting with turned out to be a bizarrely short man, flanked by two intimidating looking guys. Naruto was gratified to see that all three of them were wearing suits, sharing the discomfort. He vaguely remembered seeing the short guy a few months ago, and glanced over the bodyguards, appraising them. They were the typical, tall, well-built type, muscles so big they practically burst out of their suits. They were, however, the kind of guys Zabuza had explained were 'dumb as fuck', and as such, Naruto wasn't shaking in his boots. Shoes. Whatever.

Haku greeted them politely, while Naruto engaged in a staring contest with the guards, which was unfair since it was two against one, but by the time Haku ushered the party through the door and into the hallway, Naruto was feeling triumphant. Naruto unlocked the room while Haku fetched Zabuza from the back, quickly returning with the tall man behind him. Zabuza greeted the client casually, presenting a lazy counterpoint to the formality, and led them into the large room.

"We hope everything is to your satisfaction," Haku said pleasantly, before turning to Zabuza. "Please call us if you are in need of any refreshments." Nodding, he and Naruto retreated from the room, closing it behind them and then standing on either side of the door. It was a practiced routine that they were both comfortable with by now. They weren't needed for any of the real negotiations, but since clients often liked to bring their own guards or accomplices, Naruto and Haku were there to make sure Zabuza didn't seem outnumbered. It was more about appearance than anything else, since although they could both hold their own in a fight, up against men like those in the room, they'd have a lot of trouble.

Naruto let out a breath, leaning back against the wall and letting his head rest against the cool plaster. He glanced over at Haku who was in a similar position, hands clasped in front of him.

"We lead interesting lives, don't we?" he asked quietly. Although they weren't told to stay silent, loud noises would pass through the walls and disturb the meeting.

"I suppose you could say that," Haku replied equally softly. There was a pause where Naruto tugged at his sleeves with a little irritation. "So are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

Naruto paused in adjusting his clothes, looking at Haku with confusion and scepticism.

"You want to talk about it _now_?"

Haku shrugged.

"Why not?"

"It's sort of... private," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. Haku looked at him, eyes curious.

"There's no one here," he answered, gesturing to the empty hallway. "What is it?" Naruto wavered for a second before resolving.

"I'll tell you later," he promised. "Just not _here_." Not so public.

"Alright," Haku agreed. "We can probably leave after this, back to yours?"

"Sure," Naruto said, relieved. While he didn't want to continue the awkwardness between the two of them, he hadn't considered how he would raise the topic. He wasn't exactly tactful, but he would have to be careful with what he said. They lapsed into silence, Naruto staring at the ceiling again, shying away from the round light fitting.

"Made any progress on your assignment yet?" Haku asked, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

"Nah," Naruto admitted. "But," he said, a grin spreading over his face. "I read in the paper that Sasuke Uchiha might be _gay_." Haku raised his eyebrows, so perfectly shaped that Naruto suspected him of tweezing.

"The one you used to know?"

"Yup!"

"I heard he co-runs his father's company," Haku said evenly. "They never did catch whoever was responsible for the murders." He looked over to gauge Naruto's reaction, but the blond remained stoic. He had never told Haku what had happened that night, and afterwards that they had been too busy to think on it. However, Haku wasn't stupid, and Naruto's actions that night when he came home, in addition to what the whole town heard on the news the next day had been more than suspicious.

"Yeah," Naruto said, looking blankly at the wall in front of him.

"You two were friends, weren't you?" Haku asked, making Naruto's mind sink back to the few weeks when he had looked forward to school, the lunchtimes he had stayed inside with Sasuke, and the day they had spent in the woods.

"I guess," Naruto said with a little shrug. "It was a long time ago."

"I wonder if he remembers you."

"Of course!" Naruto insisted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Who could forget Naruto Uzumaki?" Haku laughed quietly, then sobered, glancing at the closed door. They stood for a few more minutes.

"There's not a fridge in there, is there?" Haku asked abruptly. Naruto looked at him strangely.

"No... You know there isn't," he said slowly. Haku knew the set up of every room, of the entire bar, inside and out. "Why?"

Haku glanced back at the door. "Nothing, I just thought they would have asked for refreshments by now, that's all," he explained, giving Naruto a reassuring smile and making a show of leaning back against the wall.

"Okay..." Naruto said, relaxing again. After about three minutes passed, Haku started glancing at the door again. He glanced at it, then looked straight ahead for thirty seconds, then glanced back at it. After the fifth time, Naruto started to get irritated.

"Haku, what is it?"

"I just wonder what is taking so long," Haku said, not noticing Naruto's tone in his concern.

"They're probably arguing over a price," Naruto said. "You know how it is."

"Yes, probably," Haku said, although the frown didn't leave his face. Instead he started biting his lip nervously, a habit Naruto had never seen him exhibit before. Naruto grit his teeth.

"God, you're so…" he trailed off, frustrated. Even when it was just the two of them, Haku's mind was on Zabuza. Haku looked at him sharply, his hair fanning slightly at the movement.

"'So' what?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Nothing," Naruto mumbled, feeling childish. "If you're so desperate to know what's going on with your precious Zabuza, why don't you just go in and check? You know he's not gonna get mad at you." Haku's expression was split between veiled anger at the jibe, and indecision as he considered Naruto's suggestion.

"Fine," he said suddenly. "I will." His mind made up, he pressed the handle down, pushing the door open and stepped inside.

Naruto heard the gasp; a painfully sharp intake of breath, and that alone was enough to make him move to stand behind Haku.

The inhabitants of the room were standing on either side of the table. At the head of it, Zabuza was standing, holding a knife pressed tightly against the short man's throat, so that a thin line of red was dripping down, being soaked up by his white collar. On the other side of the table, one of the men had a gun aimed at Zabuza's head, while the other was pointing to Haku and behind him Naruto.

"Get out," Zabuza commanded, low and harsh, and for a second Naruto saw behind the cold exterior of his eyes was real concern, not for himself, but for Haku. For a second, he felt respect for him.

"No," Haku whispered, horrified, his eyes fixed on the gun pointed at his lover. Naruto grabbed the back of his jacket to stop him from running forward, but Haku slipped straight out of it, moving faster than Naruto had thought possible. Across the room, the knife pressed deeper, Zabuza's captive letting out a strangled groan.

"Fuck," Naruto cursed, trying to grab Haku. The man with his gun aimed at them squared his jaw.

"_No_," Haku half screamed, surging forward.

A gunshot rang out and three bodies slumped to the floor.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my lovely beta Frickative who is an awful person.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

**AN: **Sorry about the delays. I just don't get much of a response updating here, so it makes me lazy. That's not me begging for more reviews, it's just me trying to explain myself.

Into The Woods

Naruto's memory of the day he met Zabuza wasn't sharp. It was the spotty type of memory where a few snapshots are preserved, but it's impossible to discern which are genuine and which have been substituted in by a strained mind. He remembered that Haku had been excited about it, smiling so widely that his teeth peeked out when Naruto agreed to go. He had been sceptical at first, his opinion of adults was already low, and why would one want to befriend a twelve year old anyway? He remembered acting tough, boasting a lot, trying to show that he wasn't impressed. Zabuza had taken one look at him, snorted, and called him a kid. This had sparked some sort of an argument about whether or not Naruto was a kid, with the former remaining calm and amused, while the latter became more and more wound up. Naruto didn't remember how it ended, but by the end of the day, he hadn't hated the guy.

The next real memory he had was much clearer, standing next to Haku holding a large duffle bag filled with their belongings, and being terrified that Zabuza would turn them away. Back then he hadn't distinguished between himself and Haku, they were just a pair, what one did, the other did, how one was treated, the other received the same. It had never crossed his mind that Zabuza might say Naruto couldn't come, and so he didn't understand why Haku had grabbed his free hand and held it tightly.

Looking back, he wondered if they had known what they were escaping _to_ would they have done the same thing? Haku, certainly, but himself? He'd admired Zabuza somewhat, because he was strong and tall and seemed to know so much more about the world, but by the time he'd reached sixteen, the admiration had soured. By the time he was sixteen, working in various shady establishments, never staying in one place long enough to set down roots, always having to avoid awkward questions about his home life... The actualities of the life of a teenage runaway were far from glamorous. His growing resentment was hidden by his happy nature, and took years in fact to flower. His relationship with Zabuza was founded on the knowledge that Haku cared for both of them and they held a grudging respect for each other.

Now, Naruto felt a weird sense of foresight. As though from the second Haku gave him that happy little smile, everything had been leading to this scene, in a backroom of a dingy bar that he'd been working at for months. A scene where Zabuza had a hole in his head and his eyes, although open, no longer saw anything. Where the short man had a fatal wound in his neck at the spot that the knife had sliced greedily into skin, spraying blood across the table where it landed in pools, glossy and grotesque. Where Haku, who only seconds ago had been fighting against the grip Naruto had on him with all his strength, had sunk to his knees, expression frozen in disbelief. Where the guards were still standing with their guns out, one aimed at a target that was already dead and the other aimed at Naruto. Where Naruto's ears were ringing from the gunshot that left a silence so loud it was deafening and his mind was screaming at him to run.

The seconds stretched, without the scene changing. _What happens now?_ Naruto wondered, panicked. They'd been in tight situations before, but Zabuza would start yelling orders at them, Haku would be calm and efficient, and Naruto wouldn't worry about anything except getting shouted at later for messing up. While he was fairly sure he wasn't going to get shouted at later for messing up, he was also paralysed with fear.

"Haku," he said finally, keeping his eyes on the two guards that hadn't moved. "Haku we have to go." All that his brain could comprehend was that two people were dead, Zabuza wasn't going to be able to pay someone to cover this up, and that they had to _leave_. He tugged slightly at Haku's arm, the motion making no more difference than pulling at a rag doll stuffed with iron fillings. "Haku." His friend made no sign of having heard him, was acting like he was somewhere else entirely. Naruto made another desperate attempt at pulling him up, succeeded until half way when he looked up to see that the man who had shot Zabuza had turned, and both guns were pointed at him.

"'Fraid we can't let you do that," one of them said, the one standing closest. His voice had a slight accent, and if it had been any other time, Naruto would have amused himself by trying to place it. Instead, he swallowed, willing Haku to get up, to help him. Haku, whose muscles were suddenly rigid under the hands Naruto had clasped around his forearm, and whose expression had shifted from that blank, glazed look, to an empty, cold, determined one. Naruto tightened his grip a second too late, and closed his hands around thin air, as Haku threw himself into the man closest.

It was through surprise that the man didn't pull the trigger immediately, he evidently hadn't expected Haku to do anything, and neither had Naruto. Haku, when pushed to violence, tended to favour the path of least resistance; pressure points, debilitating throws and holds, rather than the cocky, street fighting style that Naruto used. Whenever Zabuza decided to teach them something about self defence, he always had Naruto copy his own movements, while pointing out different, more careful ones that would suit Haku's frailer build. Haku had always taken these lessons seriously, practicing until he could execute them perfectly, without wasting any effort. Now, he seemed to have forgotten everything he had learnt, seemed beyond fighting styles or moves, and was just a single force of anger and pain, intent on bringing some form of redemption, regardless of the consequences.

The guard flew back, dropping his gun, which clattered to a halt about a metre away. His head hit the ground with a sickening thud as Haku punched him harshly several times, then, as if realising his inferior strength, pressing his thumbs neatly into the man's eye sockets. The guard screamed, clawing at Haku's arms and thrashing wildly, but Haku only adjusted his weight grimly, continuing to press down. Naruto was torn away from the gruesome display by a movement from the other guard who, looking disturbed, was cocking his gun at Haku. Naruto's heart leapt into his mouth, and his thought process was replaced with the repeating mantra of _fuck fuck fuck_ as he tackled the second guy before he could pull the trigger. The second guard stumbled back but didn't fall, taking a moment to get his bearings which Naruto took advantage of by kneeing him in the gut and then throwing him down as he bent over wheezing. It was difficult, the guard was much heavier than Naruto, but he was slower and still surprised by any sort of attack. Naruto jammed his heel into the exposed flesh of the man's forearm so that he released the gun which Naruto quickly grabbed, his hand cold and clammy against the metal. He'd seen a lot of people toting guns around, but he'd never held one himself, far less used one. Considering his opponent momentarily stunned, he glanced up to Haku and gagged as he noticed the amount of blood on the other's hands, staining the cuffs of his white shirt and then almost invisible on the coal black of the suit jacket. He was back to punching, the flesh making wet, sloppy sounds when his knuckles connected with it.

"Haku..." Naruto said, swallowing hard. "Haku come on, we have to go." Haku ignored him, continuing to methodically pummel the man. Naruto took four shaky steps until he stood next to Haku. The adrenaline that had surged through him only moments before had gone, leaving his body cold and unsteady. Nausea rolled through his gut and his skin was damp with sweat as he leaned down to grasp Haku's shoulder, feeling the tense muscles beneath. "Haku, come _on_," he said again, trying to make him understand. "Zabuza-" At the mention of the name, Haku stopped abruptly, as though someone had called him to do something he had forgotten about. His eyes widened and he scrambled up, the body lying on the floor suddenly ignored as he ran to the other side of the table and knelt down next to Zabuza, unmindful of the blood soaking into his clothes. He reached tenderly for Zabuza's face, as though it was something precious, not the slowly cooling body of a corpse, and ran his hands along the contours, circling the bullet wound, completely unmindful of the smears of crimson he was leaving on the skin.

"Zabuza," he whispered, shuffling closer along the now slick floor. "Don't be dead." His breathing was awkward, fast and then slow, but his hands remained gentle, even as tears ran from his eyes down to his chin and then splashed on the floor, mixing with the blood. "Zabuza, please." It was horrible to watch. Naruto had never seen that expression on Haku's face, of complete despair, had never heard that hoarse, wavering whisper and he wished with all his being that Zabuza would just _get up_ so Haku wouldn't seem so broken. Haku was still speaking, little murmurs and pleas were accompanying the whispers and the gentle hands had been replaced with shaking in attempt to coax Zabuza back from death.

Naruto was about to take another try at convincing Haku to leave, because there was no way that no one had heard the gunshot, and the police were probably on their way right now, and if Naruto and Haku got taken into custody there wasn't a chance they would avoid prison, regardless of how they spun their story. He opened his mouth to speak when he heard a movement behind them, a muttered curse and spun just a second too late (_always a fucking second too late_) in time to hear three gunshots, somehow louder than the first one.

The first two bullets were aimed at Naruto, but since he had moved, had gone through the wall, leaving perfectly circular holes in the plaster. The last one was aimed at Haku and hit him in his left shoulder, making him scream in pain and shock. Naruto lifted his own gun without thinking and shot four times into their attacker's chest. The man staggered back and then collapsed, at least one of the shots apparently fatal. Naruto's arm felt numb, the shock from the shooting seemed to have somehow deadened it. He hadn't been expecting it, and he nearly dropped the gun, before realising that he couldn't, it was covered in his prints, and he'd just used it to shoot someone. Sure, it had been self defence, but in this situation his instincts told him to get the hell out of there and leave no evidence. Unfortunately, his body wasn't cooperating, and instead he stood woodenly, staring at the fourth body. That one was bleeding too, but he felt desensitised to it, just stared blankly as it pooled around him.

"Is he dead?" Haku asked suddenly, his voice gravelly, jolting Naruto out of his daze.

"I don't know," Naruto said, looking back at Haku, his eyes fixing on the wound in his shoulder that he was holding on to. "We have to get out of here."

"I'm not leaving him," Haku said thickly. The hand not pressed against his shoulder was cupping Zabuza's cheek.

"He's dead, Haku," Naruto said bluntly. "And you need to go to a hospital before you end up like him."

"I don't care," Haku mumbled, head down, hair falling over his face so his expression was masked. "I don't care if I die."

"You're not going to die," Naruto snarled, angry all of a sudden, striding over to Haku and grabbing him by the arm, pulling him up. "We're going _now_, you're going to a hospital and you're going to be _fine_."

"I'm staying _here_," Haku half screamed, wrenching his arm out of Naruto's grip. He pressed harder on his shoulder, casting a desperate little glance at Zabuza.

"Haku..." Naruto was getting pushed for time, the police could arrive at any minute. "Haku listen to me." He knelt down, ignoring the way his knees slipped slightly against the surface of the floor. Haku looked up, his eyes haunted, the tear tracks still visible, glinting slightly in the light.

"I need to stay here, Naruto," he said blankly, the emotion he had possessed a second ago abruptly drained from him. "I don't care if I die."

"I get that," Naruto said, his voice raw with emotion. He wasn't pleading, he was begging. "I get it, I do, but I need you to live, and not be arrested. I need you to be okay and to come with me." Haku at least seemed to be paying attention, though the brown of his eyes was like that of dead leaves, clinging to the trees but knowing that their time was up. "Please."

Haku's expression wavered, Naruto noticed he was shivering and wanted to warm him up, but they didn't have time, they needed to _move_. Seeing that his friend was still indecisive, he added: "You know Zabuza wouldn't have wanted it to end like this." Haku squared his jaw, his lips pressed so tightly together that they went white, before he spoke.

"He never wanted it to end at all." His voice was surprisingly steady, and to Naruto's relief, he sat a bit straighter, used the wall for balance and allowed Naruto to pull him up. Haku wasn't able to walk very steadily, so Naruto slung one of his arms around his shoulders to help, alarmed by how cold his hand was. They stumbled out, leaving the four bodies. Naruto felt Haku stiffen as they passed through the door, but he didn't protest as Naruto all but pulled him through the corridor. It was empty and so was the staff lounge when they reached it, something that Naruto was grateful for. Haku wasn't heavy, but he was still a twenty one year old male, and wasn't easy to support, so they weren't moving at a great pace. Additionally, the both of them were smeared with blood, most of Haku's shirt was completely covered, and coupled with the spatters on their skin, they looked suspicious if not frightening.

Haku leaned against the lockers while Naruto fumbled to get his things out. He tried not to leave any blood on the surface to give them away, but it was so hard to keep in mind what would lead the police to them when all he could think was _Zabuza's dead, Haku's been shot, Zabuza's dead, Haku's been shot_ on a winding loop in his brain that left little room for rationality. After what seemed like an age, they made their way out into the car park that was all but deserted, everyone that could leave having disappeared as soon as the first gunshot was heard. Naruto unlocked his bike and positioned Haku behind him, arms locked firmly around his waist. He was worried that the blood loss would make Haku's grip too loose, but Haku assured him that he would be fine and Naruto contented himself with the fact that it wasn't far to the hospital.

They sped out of the car park and onto the road. Like someone leaving the last dregs of a hot drink; in haste and with a little regret, they left behind the sound of oncoming sirens, four corpses and the last remaining part of their innocence.

*

Many years had passed since Naruto had last been in a hospital. The last time he had entered one was when he was eight, having broken his arm falling out of a tree. Haku, who hadn't fallen out of the tree, had run to a carer in tears, screaming that Naruto was dead and causing pandemonium in the home. When he had finally been taken in, they waited for two hours before a man with a scary beard but a friendly smile checked Naruto over and gave him a lollypop. He had his arm in a cast for months, and he and Haku decorated it with orange and black marker pens.

Since running away, they'd never used hospitals. Neither he nor Haku had been seriously hurt or sick, but Zabuza frequently acquired new scars. He had friends that knew a thing or two about medicine, and would stitch him up no questions asked, for a price. Naruto would have preferred something like that. The fact that the police were probably crawling over the bar meant that he was reluctant to be so public, but he had no choice. Whatever contacts Zabuza had were no longer reachable and he wasn't willing to let Haku bleed to death while he waited for a third option to present itself.

When he'd rushed in, calling for attention, the nurses had wanted to know what had happened to Haku. He'd babbled out something about getting attacked in the street, hoping that they would attribute his incoherency to shock. They'd taken him immediately through to theatre, the nurses and doctors operating by some sort of system, somehow knowing what to do through the bubble of chaos surrounding A&E. Since Naruto didn't know Haku's blood type, they had administered a blood transfusion of O-negative while taking a small amount of his blood for testing, to determine his blood group. While they wheeled him off through the double doors to theatre, refusing to let Naruto through, they informed him that although it was unlikely Haku's life was in danger, he had lost a lot of blood and would lose more in surgery. That it was a simple procedure with a high rate of success calmed Naruto a little, but as he sat in the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the waiting room he still couldn't get his heart to slow down.

A few hours had passed since he had arrived, and it was around four am. Time seemed to be moving in strange fragments. First he would stare at the clock, waiting for the second hand to crawl around the face. Then, if he let his mind waver for a second, he would find almost an hour had passed and the inhabitants of the waiting room entirely changed. In normal circumstances, in a room full of strangers, Naruto would strike up random conversations. He liked speaking to people, liked meeting new people. Today, he wished the whole damn room was empty so that he could scream out his anger at the injustice of it all. Haku, kind, peaceful Haku didn't deserve to be lying in a hospital full of dying people. He kept repeating 'Haku is going to be okay' in his head over and over in an attempt to keep calm. Maybe some deity out there would hear him and take pity. Heck, maybe a psychic alien would help, he really wasn't choosy.

He had managed to waste the first two patient information sheets he had been asked to fill in. For the first one he had been too preoccupied and somehow snapped the biro in half, smearing ink all over it. The second one he had accidentally filled in with his own information, rather than Haku's and had to request a third one. Staring at the paper marked with boxes to tick and fill in, his mind was blank. He hardly knew most of this information. Name, date of birth, gender, that was all straight forward. But social security number? Naruto didn't know his _own_ social security number, never mind Haku's. For their address, he could put Zabuza's place, but he wasn't sure Haku would want to return there, and besides, rent would be due at the end of the month and there was no one to pay it. He put his own address down instead. Then, the trickiest, method of payment. They had no insurance, insurance and social security numbers were for citizens, not for non-entities like he and Haku. They didn't count as people, they were just ghosts. If they died, there would be nothing to show they had ever been, no records, no data, nothing.

Naruto was trying to work out how much money they actually had. Haku had his job in the craft shop but Naruto wasn't sure how much of the money that he earned he saved. They both worked in the bar, but the money they received went through Zabuza first and with him gone, they could no longer consider themselves employed. Naruto spent most of his money on living expenses, since the student loan he had for his degree was barely enough to scrape by, and as a result he had very little in the way of savings. Still, he reasoned, they should be able to scrape together enough to pay for the surgery. If worst came to worst, he could sell his motorbike, which should raise at least a grand. He nodded to himself, relaxing in increments as he worked it all out. They were going to be okay. Financially speaking. Emotionally speaking... Naruto's throat constricted at the way Haku had looked, cradling Zabuza's head in his hands. He had never seen his friend act like that, go from broken and desperate one minute to enraged the next. He shuddered, remembering the empty look in his eyes. He hoped he would never see it again.

Haku would be understandably heartbroken. Naruto himself felt a gaping hole had appeared in his life, like the chair had been moved out from under him just as he sat down. Given that his relationship with Zabuza had been so much weaker than the one Haku shared with him, he knew that Haku would be feeling a million times worse. A cruel voice whispered that he had gotten his wish: Now that Zabuza was dead, Haku's attention would no longer be divided. The thought made him nauseous and he lent forward, pulling at his hair, elbows braced on his knees. It wasn't like that, he hadn't wanted this.

"Mr Uzuma... Naruto?"

Naruto looked up upon hearing his name and met green eyes filled with bewildered confusion. The doctor looking down at him, holding a clipboard presumably with information on Haku, was a girl about his age, with pale pink hair pulled back into a messy twist, and a neat white coat labelling her a doctor. She had a stethoscope hanging around her neck, and under the coat was wearing a white blouse and pencil skirt with a wide buckled belt. Her lips parted slightly in surprise, before pulling up into a tentative smile.

"Naruto! It _is_ you!" Naruto was pulled upwards, into a tight hug in which the flat of the clipboard was awkward against his shoulder, and then the same clipboard was used to hit him on the head. "You didn't call me!" He stumbled back, bracing himself on the arms of the chair, an onslaught of memories ripping through his muddled mind.

"Sakura?" he asked, his eyebrows pulled together in confusion as he looked at the woman in front of him, her angry expression dissolving back into happiness as she pulled him into another hug.

"You remember me!" She moved back, tilting her head to the side and inspecting him.

"Of course I remember you," Naruto mumbled. "You're the only girl I ever met with pink hair."

"I recognised your name," Sakura said, gesturing to the chart. "But the surname was different so I thought..." She trailed off, her eyebrows quirking in thought. "So the patient is-"

"Haku, how is he?" Naruto finished, his throat suddenly dry as though he'd run a sprint. "He's okay right? They- the nurses said he was gonna be fine." Sakura's expression morphed to one of compassion, and then her demeanour became clinical and efficient.

"Yes, the surgery went well," she said with a thin smile, glancing at the clipboard as though out of habit. "He did lose a lot of blood, but the bullet is out now. He was lucky, it was a clean shot. They'll keep him in for a few days at least however, to make sure he's healing correctly and his blood pressure is high enough. But yes, he should be fine."

Naruto let out a deep shaky breath, his eyes filming over in relief as he sank back into the chair, not noticing the hardness of the plastic. His lips curled into a tired smile, he thanked all the deities in existence and that psychic alien too. _He's going to be okay_, he thought, eyes closing in happiness. He had an operation, and he would be in hospital for a while, but he was going to be _fine_.

"Can I see him?" he asked, looking up at Sakura hopefully. She smiled at him, her eyes soft.

"Sure, but not for too long, he needs to rest." She waited while he stood up and then led him through a few passageways into a quiet ward. It was painted cream, with twelve beds, six along each side, and a wide window at one end that was covered by a flowery curtain. Two nurses were standing by a chart on the door, while another was remaking an empty bed. Naruto wrinkled his nose as the sharp smell of disinfectant hit his senses, but his discomfort disappeared as he recognised Haku's prone form lying timidly in a bed. He rushed over, nearly tripping in his haste and then stood, unsure at his bedside. Haku was asleep, his features calm and his breathing even. He was covered by a white sheet and then a blue blanket, which Naruto thought didn't look very soft, and the way it was all tucked in on either side couldn't be very comfortable and wouldn't Haku be happier in his own bed? Haku's hands were outside the covers, neatly folded even while he slept. Naruto noted his hands were now clean from the blood that had covered them and peaking out from the top of the hospital gown he was wearing were fresh bandages, covering the wound Naruto knew was there. He looked very pale, and was attached to a drip that was feeding various fluids into a blue vein on his arm, but he was breathing and Sakura had said he was going to be _okay_, and all Naruto really wanted to do was crawl into the bed next to him and fall asleep under the uncomfortable sheets.

"Naruto?" Sakura's voice surprised him, and he turned his head to where she stood, clipboard clasped to her chest. "I finish my shift in an hour. I know you've been through a lot, but would you like to meet up in the canteen downstairs?"

"Uh, yeah," Naruto said, venturing a smile. The drama and worry of the day was finally over, and although there would be a lot of consequences, having a coffee with an old friend and pretending that this was a normal day appealed. "That'd be nice."

"Alright," Sakura said softly. "I'll see you down there." She exited, leaving Naruto staring at his friend, feeling like maybe things were going to be okay.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my lovely beta Frickative who is an awful person.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

When Naruto made his way down to the canteen an hour and fifteen minutes later, he found Sakura sitting at a two person table alone, eating a prawn salad. She had taken off her white doctor's coat and had a large black handbag sitting on the floor next to her.

"Hey," he said, sitting down. "Sorry I'm late, I got lost." Sakura gave him a bright smile.

"Although it's a maze around here, you managed to get yourself lost back in high school, so I think it's more a case of absolutely no sense of direction," she said, popping a forkful of salad into her mouth.

"Hey, that was one time!" Naruto protested, experiencing a weird sense of deja vu. He had known Sakura when he was sixteen, they had been in the same class for about a year and Naruto had fallen in love with her from the second he saw her. He had nagged her to go on a date with him, but she had remained steadfast in her refusal. They became good friends, even going out a few times, although Sakura had insisted they weren't dates, and sometimes calling each other up just to chat. Sakura had been a great listener, even if she had often resorted to violence in the face of Naruto's stupidity. Then one of Zabuza's clients had sold him out to the police, and Naruto, Haku and Zabuza had to skip town once again.

"How is Haku?" she asked politely, breaking the slightly awkward silence that had fallen.

"He seems fine," Naruto said. "Heh, it's such a relief, it's been such a crappy day... But then, you would know, you're the doctor."

"I'm still just a student, I have two years left. And I was just trying to make conversation," Sakura replied with a smile, pushing wayward strands of hair out of her face. "Talking through an awkward silence."

"Oh," said Naruto, feeling foolish. "Right. I tend to just say 'hey, this is majorly awkward, huh?'"

"You always did Naruto," Sakura said with a smile. "And as I recall, it never helped at all." Naruto took a second to study her. His memory of her was hazy, the image blurring in his mind into the pale pink of her hair and the intense green of her eyes. She'd been kind, he remembered, when she wasn't busy hitting him, always checking up to make sure he had done his homework and calling him so that he didn't forget his lunch. She'd also been rather fickle, constantly crushing on one boy or another, arguing heatedly with her girlfriends, and occasionally acting tactlessly, despite her intelligence which always guaranteed her top of the class marks. Her appearance had changed a little from when she was sixteen, her features were a little sharper, more defined, and her eyes were more serious. Her hair was shorter too, the locks not caught in the twist fell to brush her chin, rather than the waist length style she had adopted in her teens.

"So cruel, Sakura," he said with a mock pout. Sitting there, he felt like he was back in school, sitting the canteen, discussing one of their teachers or how boring their history class was. It was crazy to think he hadn't seen Sakura in so long.

"Hey!" started Sakura, remembering something and putting down her fork so it balanced on the side of the plastic pot. "You never called me!" Naruto's eyes widened at the memory. He had promised to keep in touch with Sakura when he moved, but they had lost contact.

"I'm so sorry Sakura! I wrote the number on my hand and then it washed off!" he explained, his eyes pleading. Sakura shook her head in amusement.

"You'd called me so many times, how could you have not known the number off by heart?" Sakura wanted to know.

"You know me… I forget these things," Naruto said sheepishly, scratching at the back of his head before he remembered. "Hey! But I wrote you letters! I wrote you three letters, and I sent them with stamps and everything, but you never replied! I waited for ages..." Naruto trailed off sadly, remembering how he had eagerly anticipated getting home from a strange new school, or his tiresome job in the hopes of getting a letter. When he looked up, Sakura was looking at him with an expression of sadness, amusement and affection.

"Naruto, you didn't leave a return address," she said, looking at him pityingly.

"Yes I- Oh…" Naruto stared at the table. "I guess I forgot.." He looked so forlorn that Sakura couldn't help leaning over and patting his hand.

"Don't worry, we met again after all, just like you said we would." Naruto smiled at that. "I got you a muffin."

"Really?" Naruto asked, watching as Sakura produced a muffin in a plastic wrapper from her bag. "Thanks Sakura!" He picked it up, looking at it. "Hey! It's my favourite, che-"

"Cherry and lime, I remember," Sakura said with a fond smile, watching as Naruto dug into the muffin hungrily, realizing how long it had been since he last ate. "Some things never change."

"I'm really different now though, Sakura, I'm way mature and grown up," Naruto insisted, managing to spray minimal amounts of muffin as he spoke.

"I can tell," Sakura teased. "For one thing, we've been talking for five minutes and you haven't asked me out yet." Naruto blinked at her, before hurriedly swallowing his mouthful of muffin.

"Oh yeah! I forgot! It's not 'cause you're not gorgeous or anything, I mean you look like, whoa amazingly hot, obviously," Naruto babbled, hoping this encounter would not end with him sporting a lump on his head. Sakura shook her head, laughing slightly.

"Don't worry, I know you have other things on your mind," she said, watching as his expression became relieved. "I actually recently broke up with my fiancé, so I'm not exactly ready to jump back in."

"Your _fiancé_?" Naruto asked, shocked, before his expression turned to determination. "Was he a jerk? I'll kill him, you know." Sakura giggled, hiding her smile behind a hand.

"No it's fine, that isn't necessary Naruto," she reassured him, returning to her salad. Naruto picked up his muffin again, having dropped it in his surprise. It had landed on the table, but Naruto applied the ten second rule and carried on eating it.

"So what happened?" he asked, getting crumbs everywhere. "Anyone I know? Hey, it wasn't that guy with the red hair you were crazy about in school was it?" Sakura's lips turned down in distaste.

"I was _not_ 'crazy about him,'" she insisted. "I went out with him _once_ as a favour for his sister, and it _really wasn't him_." Her cheeks flushed a little as she remembered the date. "You know, he was so weird. He just _stared_ at me the whole time."

"Maybe he liked you?" Naruto said around a mouthful. Sakura was about to point out how Gaara had always stared at _Naruto_ too, but thought better of it. "So who was it? Some hotshot businessman I bet? Or a fancy doctor from the hospital? I always knew you'd find someone awesome, I mean, even though he was an asshole."

"Thanks, Naruto," Sakura said, pushing the now empty salad container to the side and idly tracing her ring finger. Naruto was surprised how easily he was taking the news that she had been recently engaged. When he was in school, he had been sure that he was in love with her, he'd said it enough times. Maybe it was how surreal the situation was, or maybe he was still partially numb from the drama of the day, but he just felt happiness at seeing an old friend. He just felt the comfort that came with easy banter that had no heavy emotional baggage. "Well, if you really want to know, it was Sasuke Uchiha."

And just like that, the happiness was gone, and the heavy emotional baggage was right back. Naruto still couldn't hear Sasuke's name without feeling pure fear coil itself silkily in his stomach, even if he had practiced enough over the years to show little outward emotion. He knew _why_ Sasuke's memory caused his muscles to tense up, and caused his mind to skitter, he knew the connection he was making, but he chose to ignore it, and in time, learned to ignore the feeling too.

"Sasuke Uchiha, huh?" Naruto said, trying to gather his thoughts and taking a large last bite of the muffin to buy time. "Wow." He remembered the newspaper article he had read, was it only the day before? "Isn't he... you know..."

"Gay?" Sakura finished bluntly. "I see you read the tabloids."

"Um yeah, it was pretty full-on, so wait. _You're_ the fiancé he broke up with?"

"The one and only," Sakura admitted with a sigh. Naruto sat back, his mind boggling with this new information. After all these years, the jealousy he had originally felt of Sasuke bubbled up. Twenty one years old and and despite liking men, Sasuke had been engaged to the girl Naruto had been in love with. And to twist the knife in, he hadn't even married her, hadn't deemed her worthy.

"So... You split up because he's gay?" Naruto ventured after a few moments had passed in which he appreciated the hustle and bustle of the canteen. It was busy now, people were coming in for breakfast, while Sakura, having been on the night shift, had just finished her dinner.

"His favouring the Y-chromosome wasn't the problem," Sakura confessed. "It was rather that he just wasn't interested in me. Not as a friend and certainly not as a lover."

"It sounds like he's turned out to be a massive jerk, Sakura," Naruto said, noting the despondent look on his friend's face. Her expression altered in surprise at his words, and she glanced up from where she had been morosely studying the plastic table.

"'Turned out'?" she queried. "You knew Sasuke?"

"Uh, yeah," Naruto said, realising his slip. "A long, long time ago though. I haven't spoken to him in years. Small world, huh?"

"Tiny," Sakura agreed. "He's not really an asshole," she said with a sigh, propping her chin up on her hands, her elbows resting on the table. "He's just... I don't know. He's always been so distant. It's understandable, given his past.." She didn't bother glancing up to check Naruto knew what she was referring to; everyone knew. "I thought it would be okay, that he would open up, but..." Her eyes were downcast, looking inwards. Naruto hesitated, not exactly sure how to approach a girl looking so depressed, but did his best anyway, reaching over and tentatively patting her hand.

"Don't worry Sakura, if he didn't appreciate you, then it's his loss," he said, reaffirming it with a nod. "Besides, I bet there are tonnes of men that'd love a pink haired girlfriend like you." Sakura raised an eyebrow sceptically, but looked a little pleased, running fingers through her fringe and then patting the back of her hair.

"Do you like it?" she asked, smoothing it back. "I kept it pink."

"Uhuh," Naruto said, nodding again, then pursing his lips as a thought occurred. "But Sakura...what's your _real_ hair colour?" Sakura gave him a secretive smile, before gesturing for him to lean in and cupping her mouth with a hand.

"It's..." she looked from side to side, as though checking for eavesdroppers. "A secret," she finished with a smile, sitting back in her chair, leaving Naruto looking as though she had been twirling a baby fox around by its tail.

" Sakura, that's so _mean_" he whined. "I thought you were gonna tell me."

"It's rude to ask girls questions like that anyway," Sakura replied primly. Her expression turned curious, and she fixed Naruto with an inquisitive gaze. "What happened to your name, by the way? The last time it was Naruto Sarutobi, now it's Uzumaki?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, thinking back to the amount of excuses he had ready. In the past if he got caught out like this, he tended to say that Uzumaki was his mother's name, and whatever name he'd been using before, his father's. He didn't, however, want to lie to Sakura. "It's a long story." Sakura frowned at his answer before speaking, picking her words slowly and lowering her voice.

"You and Haku, you always used to be so distracted. Always tired in the mornings and always rushing off after school. You were always seeing the nurse for something and you never talked about your home life. I didn't think about it then, I just accepted it," she gave a self deprecating smile. "I was so selfish back then." Naruto tried to interrupt her but she stopped him. "But since then, things started to make sense. You two... you weren't just school kids like us, were you?"

"Not...exactly, Sakura," Naruto said after a second. He swallowed and looked to the side, watching the people sat at the tables nearby. When Sakura didn't say anything, he looked back and noticed a strange expression on her face. Feeling his gaze, she folded her hands.

"This, with Haku. Is it anything to do with... _that_?" she raised her eyes significantly. When Naruto failed to answer immediately, she took his silence as an affirmative. "I see."

"Sakura... whatever you think was going on, it's over now," Naruto said quickly. "After last night..." He swallowed, renewing his resolve as he looked at her. "There's nothing tying us to it." Sakura studied him, her green eyes analysing his expression and after a minute she gave him a tentative smile.

"I'm glad." She paused, before blushing a little and adding. "Thank you for those three letters. I was worried about you."

"Heh, nah, you shouldn't have," Naruto said, puffing up his chest. "As if anything could defeat me."

"You're right, silly me," Sakura said. She glanced around and started to pack her things. "Right, I'm about done, shall we go and check on Haku?"

"Yeah, that'd be good," Naruto agreed. "Maybe he'll be awake."

"Could be," Sakura said at his hopeful tone. "Oh, before I forget, here's my address and telephone number, _don't lose it this time_." She got a white business card out of her bag and a ballpoint and began scribbling down words on the back. After a few seconds she passed it to him. He read the words she'd written and then flipped it over.

"What's this?"

"That's _Sasuke's_ address and phone number," she said with a sigh. "We were living together for two years, and when we got engaged I was so excited that I got cards printed. I figured I might as well use them." Naruto turned the card back and then slipped it into his pocket. "Keep in touch."

"I will," Naruto promised. "And next time I write I'll leave a return address." They stood up and walked to Haku's ward, Naruto letting Sakura lead the way since all the corridors looked the same to him. It was quieter than it had been the previous night, a few patients were walking around the hospital and Sakura greeted them politely. When they reached Haku's ward, Naruto's eyes were immediately drawn to his bed, but to his disappointment, Haku was still asleep. He looked up at Sakura who was glancing through the chart at the end of the bed.

"He's still asleep, is that normal?" he asked worriedly. Now that he thought about it, Haku looked a little pale.

"Hm? Yes it's not really a cause for concern, many patients take a while to sleep off the anaesthetic. Besides, his body needs to recover from the surgery," Sakura said absently, flipping through the sheets and then moving to the machines he was connected to.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked nervously, watching as a little frown appeared on Sakura's forehead. Hearing his tone, she looked up, flashing a reassuring smile.

"No, it's probably nothing," she said quickly. "His vitals are just a little lower than they should be." She pursed her lips. "I'm going to check up on this."

"What? But they said he was going to be fine!" Naruto said, feeling an uncomfortable knot twist in his stomach.

"And he probably will be, I just want to be sure," Sakura reaffirmed. "You stay here. Get some rest, you look dead on your feet." She touched his arm briefly and then walked briskly out, leaving Naruto feeling dazed. Haku would be okay though, right? They said the surgery had been successful, so he would have to be okay. They'd already lost Zabuza..

He sat down heavily on the blue chair placed next to the bed, watching Haku. Was he dreaming? Now that Sakura had mentioned it, Naruto _did_ feel tired. And Sakura said Haku would be fine, or at least, he thought she had said something like that, at some point. Just now, he couldn't remember though. His head felt so heavy. Would it matter, if just for a second, he rested his eyes?

*

Naruto was walking through the hallway at the back of the club, with Haku next to him. The hallway was longer than usual, but he was with Haku, so he didn't mind. They were talking about something, when Haku suddenly turned to him with clear eyes.

I miss Zabuza," he said. Naruto nodded, taking his hand and squeezing it.

"I know. I miss him too," he said.

"I loved him, you know." Haku's face was blank, but his eyes were swirling with emotion. Naruto didn't say anything to that, just looked forward and kept walking. There was a pause. "After everything, you haven't forgiven me?" Naruto turned sharply, to say that no, he had forgiven Haku, that really there was nothing to forgive, but when he turned, there was no one there.

He heard a noise ahead of him and turned to see a figure walking a little in front of him. Naruto realised that the hallway wasn't a hallway, they were in the woods, and it was night. In the moonlight Naruto could make out the dark shine of the leaves, and the twisted silhouettes of the tree trunks, but nothing else. The forest felt empty, as if there was no one else, nothing living within it, and there was no end to it, so Naruto hurried to catch up to the person in front of him.

Somehow, his footsteps were silent, he didn't hear the sound of leaves being shredded underfoot or twigs snapping, all he could hear was his own breathing as he went. The person in front of him didn't seem to get any closer, so he walked faster, but that didn't help either. He started running and finally seemed to be gaining ground when he tripped and fell forward. As he did so, he kept his eyes on the person in front of him and saw them turn around. To his surprise, he recognised Sasuke; not the boy that had been his friend, but the man that he didn't know.

"Tch, idiot."

*

"Naruto, wake up."

Naruto felt someone shaking him, heard someone calling his name. He felt groggy, his mouth tasted bitter, and his neck was sore. Swallowing, he opened his eyes and saw Sakura looking at him seriously. She opened her mouth to speak and he instinctively knew that it was going to be something he didn't want to hear.

He was right.

*

"I don't understand," Naruto said for the fifth time. He could tell from the look on Sakura's face that he was making it difficult, that he should give a despairing sigh, accept it and ask what could be done. That he was making it harder than it had to be. But damn it, 'difficult' didn't even scratch the surface of how impossible this was for him to understand.

"Naruto..." Sakura's voice was soft, but every syllable grated, like a blade tearing at flesh. "I know it's hard, but-"

"No, you don't," he interrupted. "You don't." He was being rude, and the realisation didn't awaken an ounce of regret in him. He didn't have any room for something as frivolous as feeling bad for hurting someone's feelings. He didn't have enough room for anything except shock, despair and anger. "You said, you said he was going to be fine. That the surgery was a success. You _said_."

Sakura brushed her hair back, the movement steadying her. The neat twist was starting to fall apart with more and more pink strands escaping and curling about her face.

"The surgery itself _was_ successful," she said, before pursing her lips, her eyes shimmering slightly. "Look, I'm just an intern, maybe I should get someone else to explain-" She turned to look around the ward, but Naruto grabbed her hand, squeezing it, apologising.

"No, please, don't. I just- explain it again," he said. Sakura pulled her hand gently out of his and gave him a searching look.

"Okay, but maybe you should sit down?" She gestured to the chair that Naruto had been sleeping in ten minutes ago, when he had really thought that maybe this would all be over when he woke up. He should have known that fate wouldn't be so kind to him. He started to shake his head, but seeing the look Sakura gave him, complied, sitting awkwardly in the chair. He didn't know how his sitting instead of standing made any difference at all, but Sakura seemed satisfied and began to speak. "I told you before that Haku's pulse and breathing rate seemed a little lower than usual. That's not atypical, often the anaesthetic administered makes the patients extremely lethargic for around two to four hours after surgery, however it usually wears off after that. I checked with surgery and his ECG was a little erratic during too. It's not unknown to happen, but combined with his vitals now, it's a cause for concern."

"But you said the surgery was a success," Naruto repeated, his voice clouded.

"And it was in terms of removing the bullet and stitching the wound," Sakura said. "But it seems like something else is wrong."

"Why would anything be wrong?" Naruto asked desperately, a hand pulling at his hair before falling to rest on the chair. "Haku was fine." Sakura shook her head a little.

"It's hard to say exactly, since we don't have his medical records on file, but a reaction like this towards anaesthetic often points to cardiovascular or respiratory problems."

"But we would have_ known,_" Naruto insisted. "I mean if he had something like that, he'd have been collapsing all over the place, right?" He glanced at his friend who was still sleeping, his hair dark against his pale skin.

"Not necessarily," Sakura said. "It would have become apparent if he took part in strenuous exercise, or underwent specific testing, but otherwise it's unlikely." Naruto opened his mouth to protest again, as though by insisting to Sakura that Haku was fine, his friend would become so, but upon seeing Sakura's expression, snapped his mouth shut again.

"So what now?" he asked glumly, refusing to meet her eyes and instead staring at the pockmarked linoleum. "If he has... what you think he has. Is he gonna be okay?"

"We're going to have someone examine him and try to work out what exactly is wrong, and in the meantime we'll be keeping an eye on him to track his progress," Sakura explained. "If there _are_ complications they're likely to be treatable."

"There's a chance it's nothing though? Like, just the anaesthetic or something?" Naruto tried hopefully. Sakura's expression lost the slightly clinical edge and dissolved into unrestrained pity.

"There is a chance," she said slowly. "But it's very small. As a doctor, and as a friend, I think you should prepare yourself for either outcome." Naruto fingers bit into the armrest, knuckles whitening. "Naruto... there's something else." Naruto wanted to laugh. As if there could be anything else. As if there could be another shoe to drop. What could she possibly say now? That on top of everything Haku had syphilis too?

"What?" he asked groggily. Again, he was being rude. Haku would chastise him, if he wasn't still asleep after being shot and probably suffering from some mystery condition.

"Haku doesn't have any insurance," Sakura said carefully. The change in topic brought Naruto's thought process to a brief halt, the way a driver's mind goes blank a second after their swerve takes them into the path of oncoming traffic.

"I know," Naruto said. He had filled in the forms after all. "But we should be able to afford the operation anyway." Sakura bit her lip, the skin whitening where her teeth nipped at it.

"Yes, the original operation. But if there _are_ complications, they're likely to be expensive to correct." At Naruto's shocked look, she carried on. "There are grants available, but since he's over twenty one there's less support."

"He'll still have it fixed though," Naruto checked, eyes widening at Sakura's hesitation. "But if he _needs_ it? They have to! They can't just let him _die_!" Sakura shushed him, glancing around uncertainly and then perching on the edge of Haku's bed, looking very much like the uncertain teenager Naruto used to borrow homework off.

"No, Naruto, they wont do that," Sakura said, mouth twisting up to one side, her eyes downcast and her fair lashes brushing at her cheekbones. "They wont let him die."

"Then what's the problem?" Naruto all but growled. It was too much. Too much pain in too short a time. Too many brief moments of respite snatched away and replaced with aching fear.

"The policy is that if a patient desperately needs an operation, it will be carried out, and they will be billed afterwards." Well that was fine. If they had to take the operation and skip town, so be it. They'd done worse. "But in cases like this, there tend to be several options."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... there are different things that can be done, but they vary."

"Vary _how_?"

Sakura shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, then met his eyes, her expression resigned.

"Mainly in terms of quality, longevity and expense."

Oh.

"So what you're saying," Naruto's voice was low, but it shook slightly with suppressed anger, "is that because Haku doesn't have any insurance and can't afford the best possible treatment, he'll be given whatever is _cheapest_?" Sakura gaze was of forced calm. Of someone who had to face this reality everyday, and understood that in a world where money equated power, the healthcare system was just another limb in the consumer driven machine.

"Yes, that's what I'm saying."

Naruto closed his eyes for a second, his hands gripping the chair ever tighter as he fought to calm himself. He listened to the bleep of machines, the squeaking of beds being wheeled across the lino, the swing of doors and the murmur of conversation. It would help nothing for him to lose his temper in middle of ward eight and cause a fuss. All it would do was get him thrown out by security and make it harder for him to see Haku. He _knew_ that. And yet adrenaline surged through his blood with a need to _react_.

When he opened his eyes, his expression was so blank Sakura winced. The blue of his irises seemed flattened, repressed. She knew that hospitals did more good than harm, that they saved lives on a regular basis. But it was hard to remember that when looking at an old friend like this.

"Naruto, it might be okay," she said warily, her voice soft. "The tests might come back negative."

"How long will it take?" he asked dully, eyes flickering to Haku's face.

"It depends. It's easier to find out if there _is_ something wrong, than work out that there isn't," Sakura explained. "We could get a positive test back in a few hours, but it'll take a few weeks to be sure there's nothing wrong."

"Right," Naruto said, ignoring the look of concern Sakura was giving him. Concern wasn't worth anything. Concern wasn't going to fix this. Only money was apparently, money that he didn't have.

"You should go home and rest, Naruto," Sakura said gently. "It's been a long night. My resident is going to take a look at him, he'll be in good hands. " She was looking worn out too, her shift having spilled over with the news about Haku. "If he wakes up, you'll be called."

"I don't want to leave him," Naruto said, his emotional words at odds with his blank tone.

"He'll be fine," Sakura said, flinching when Naruto's eyes fixed on hers.

"That's what you said before," he murmured sadly, before getting up. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her. "No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. Thank you for everything. I'll wait for the call." Sakura brushed his arm lightly, before turning to leave. Her heels clicked, muted against the lino as she walked, but Naruto's eyes were back on the bed. Five years ago he wouldn't have been able to keep his eyes off the view of Sakura walking away. Now... now things were different.

Haku looked peaceful, probably more peaceful than Naruto, but not as healthy as he would have liked. His hair was sticking in places, the silky locks matted by what Naruto strongly suspected was blood. His face was clean, but his complexion was ashen. Naruto studied him for any signs of serious illness, but found none. He looked like anyone would after having a bullet removed from their shoulder.

"Haku," he said, reaching a hand up to brush the side of his friend's face lightly, fingertips sliding over smooth skin. "I really hope she was wrong. I hope the tests all come back negative, and in a couple of months this'll all be behind us." He swallowed, letting his hand drop as Haku made no movement save for the deep, regular breathing of someone heavily asleep.

He left. He said he had hope, but deep down, he knew that in his life, he wouldn't ever get a happy ending.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my lovely beta Frickative who is an awful person.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

Pushing seventy on the motorway when he hadn't slept properly - bar the few snatched minutes in the chair at Haku's bedside - in twenty four hours was unlikely to make a headline for the most sensible thing Naruto had ever done. Breaking the speed limit on his motorbike was, however one of Naruto's few indulgences. It chalked in above beer, but below good sex. Of course it was a lot higher than bad sex, but then so were most things.

Feeling the wind pressing against him, he could imagine that all his problems would disappear if he could just go far enough, fast enough. If he managed to push above a hundred, would the bike break from the tarmac and fly upwards? Normally, cruising along, easily outstripping cars was enough to make Naruto forget any and all of his problems, whether it was a failed assignment or being snubbed by a girl. Today however, he knew it would take much more than that.

The sky was a clear blue, the sun brightly shining as though a few hours ago the world hadn't been plunged into darkness. It could have been a nice day. Could have.

He knew he had to go home eventually, but returning to his flat would make everything too real. He hoped that he and Haku hadn't been linked to the shooting at the club. They technically didn't work there, they just worked for Zabuza, which would mean that there would be no pay slips or records of them working there. On the other hand, with Zabuza no longer looking out for them, if anyone wanted to remove suspicion from themselves, they could easily mention Haku or Naruto. Still, besides their frequent appearances at the bar, it was unlikely they would be tracked down.

Then again, with the way things were going, Naruto wouldn't be surprised if he got pulled over for speeding and then somehow held responsible for all four corpses at the club that night.

What had they done with Zabuza, Naruto wondered. Taken him to the coroner? Put him in one of those cold rooms? Would there be a funeral? Did men who had committed as many crimes as he had _get_ funerals? Probably not. And if they did, there was no way Naruto or Haku could show their faces there. Not that Haku was up to frolicking around at a funeral.

The fury that he had felt before was gone now, replaced with single-minded determination. Back when he was a kid, Mr Umino had always said Naruto only had three settings: happy, angry and determined, and it was generally true. He rarely gave himself over to depression. When the shit hit the fan, he took action. When things went wrong he fixed them. This was no different. Haku had to get better. Haku had to be okay. There were no two ways about it, there was no other option. Zabuza was dead, and there was nothing else _left_. So if it turned out that Sakura was right, and that he needed some expensive medical procedure, Naruto would get the money, he didn't care what he had to do for it.

Naruto needed Haku. Haku couldn't die. That was all there was to it.

*

He stayed out for two hours until his eyes started to droop and then, deciding it would do no one any good if he ended up a brown smear on the side of the road, returned to his flat. It was afternoon when he slipped the key into the lock and walked in. Everything was as he had left it the previous day and it was jarring to see. He could remember tossing the newspaper onto the couch, remember not closing the wardrobe door before he left. He remembered what his life had been twenty four hours ago, and how it wasn't now, and would never be again.

Just yesterday, walking into his apartment, seeing his things everywhere would have made him happy. He would have felt contentment at his independence, and pride too. Thinking back, he tried to work out when his life had taken a u-turn towards the shittier side of the spectrum. Was it the week before, when he'd found out about Haku and Zabuza? Was it when he was sixteen and serving drinks to rich clients that wanted people dead? Was it when he was fourteen and got someone else's blood on his hands for the first time? Was it when he was twelve and ran away with Haku? Or maybe it was when he was a baby, lying alone in a hospital cot, with no parents to claim him and no records to show where he belonged.

Naruto shook his head sharply, making his vision spot a little with the harshness of the movement. Self-pity would solve nothing. It wouldn't cure Haku and it wouldn't raise any money. He moved into his bathroom and caught sight of his appearance in the mirror. His eyes looked bloodshot with dark bags under them. His hair was a mess, flattened from the helmet. He realised he was still wearing the suit from last night. Funny how he hadn't found it uncomfortable, hadn't even noticed. The white cuffs were spattered with blood and the whole ensemble wrinkled from sleeping in it. He must have looked deranged. He gave a little snort and turned away, taking his jacket off and dropping it on the floor before turning on the shower. No, he wasn't crazy. Crazy people had it easy. They just sat in a little white room all day. They didn't have to deal with the world.

He loosened his tie and then undressed while the water heated up, feeling relieved at getting out of the clothes. In the shower, he let the glass mist up, feeling all the grime, sweat and blood wash off him and swirl into the drain. He wanted to make plans, to think of what he had to do, but the hot water was comforting and enveloping, the steam muddling his mind until his eyes drooped.

Once washed and dried, feeling about eight years old even if his flat was quieter than the children's home had ever been, he put on a clean pair of boxers and crawled into his unmade bed. His hair was damp and soaked the sheets, darkening the orange material it spread to. Naruto didn't care, he was asleep before his head touched the pillow.

*

The apartment was dark when Naruto awoke, which suited him fine. He felt exhausted, the kind of tired you feel after sleeping for longer than you should. His limbs all felt loose, and his mind pleasantly fuzzy. He couldn't really remember dreaming, so guessed he had been sleeping particularly deeply. He managed to open one eye and let his sight adjust to the lack of light, while considering if he should get up for class. Then he realised that it was evening and he didn't go to class in the evening. The thought made him frown. His bed was warm and comfortable, but there was something wrong, so he sat up, holding a hand to his head and looking around blearily.

Had he missed class? Why was he sleeping now anyway? He normally woke up in the early afternoon. Maybe the alarm clock hadn't gone off. _Still_, Naruto thought. _Haku should have called._

His thoughts were flattened by memory falling into place. Instead of the usual soft slide of realisation that normally occurred in the morning, the memories slammed in, each snapshot so heavy it almost caused him physical pain. The bar, Zabuza, gunshots, Haku, the hospital, Sakura, Haku again, Haku, Haku, Haku.

Naruto sat up, pulling his knees up and leaning his head onto them, pulling at his hair. He stayed that way for a few seconds, listening to the muted sound of cars driving on the street below and the thump of someone using the stairs outside his flat. Eventually, he took a deep breath and looked up. Enough moping.

First he checked his phone in case the battery had died or he had slept through a call, but there was nothing. Leaving it on the kitchen counter he grabbed some cereal from the cupboard and poured out some milk. He was being an adult here, he'd slept like Sakura had told him, now he was eating. He wasn't going to freak out like a child. He'd done enough of that. His phone also told him that he had been asleep for over twenty four hours, which was bizarre, but his stomach agreed. The shock of recent events, he supposed. That he hadn't been contacted was surely good news. Sakura had said that it would take longer to prove he was healthy than to show that he was ill. On the other hand, they were supposed to have called him when Haku woke up. That his friend too had been asleep for over a day and a half was certainly concerning, but then he _was_ recovering from getting shot at and losing dangerous amounts of blood.

It was probably better for Haku to be asleep right now, Naruto decided. Naruto had lost a friend, and now the closest thing he had to family was in danger too. Haku had lost a lover, and now his own life was hanging in the balance. On top of that, he had a hole in his shoulder. It was probably kinder for him to sleep.

While he ate, Naruto got his notebook from the sofa and tried to work out how much money they had. He put in all the money he had saved, which wasn't a lot, the money he had in loans, and a rough estimate of how much he thought Haku might have. The figure was pitiful. Next, he estimated how much they could possible get in a short amount of time. If he sold his bike, as much as it would hurt him, it would help a lot. They could possibly get some more loans, but wouldn't be able to raise much money without any proof they would be able to pay the money _back._ Naruto groaned, thinking of all the money he'd spent frivolously in the past. It had never really occurred to him to save up, and now he wished so much that he had set something aside.

Sakura had mentioned possible financial support, so that was worth a shot, but from what she had said, Naruto wasn't going to expect much. There was no one they could borrow from, no wealthy friends or connections that they knew. Zabuza had always been able to borrow his way out of any tight squeezes, but Naruto and Haku couldn't do the same. Their lives had revolved around Zabuza too much, Naruto realised, and without him they were like scaffolding without a building. Pointless and liable to collapse at any minute.

Even with all the possibilities he'd factored in, the figure he had was extremely low. And they would have to pay for Haku's original operation too. His heart rate started to increase and he had to breath deeply to try to stay calm.

"There's gotta be something else," he muttered to himself. "And even if there isn't, maybe Haku wont need anything." His reassurance was weak even to his own ears. How could this be the reality? How could the facts stand like this? He knew it wasn't fair, and he knew that it didn't matter, because fair or not...

What would Zabuza do? He wondered, putting his pen down and staring unseeing across the flat. Probably steal the money. Naruto would do it if he had to, if there was no other choice. What would Haku do? He'd get it from Zabuza. The older man had never denied him anything. Sai had rich parents, Naruto knew, so he would get the money from them. Sakura... Until a week ago, she would have asked her fiancé for the money. And Sasuke? He was so rich that the amount Naruto would likely need was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

The world was fucked up, Naruto surmised as he washed his bowl in the sink. And he was no closer to solving his problem. But maybe there wasn't a problem. Maybe...

There was a soft knock at the door and Naruto immediately glanced at his phone, somehow connecting the two. Realising it hadn't rung, he went to the door, not unduly concerned. Few people knew he lived there. It was probably one of his neighbours wanting to borrow a cup of sugar. While their timing was irritating, and he didn't _have_ a cup of sugar (he used a stash of sachets he'd taken from a café on the university campus) he thought he might as well answer and make them leave.

He stood up, feeling a little uneasy on his feet, and padded the few steps to the door, swinging it open to reveal-

"Sai?"

"Hello Naruto," Sai said politely. His voice was quiet, unobtrusive but clear, like a smooth brush stroke on canvas. He was wearing a grey t-shirt beneath a black shirt buttoned almost to the top and black jeans as usual. On his shoulder was a grey shoulder bag. He was holding a large cardboard box that looked familiar, the top flaps covered in a black stain. His eyes looked different today however, seeming to reflect more than they showed.

"Hey," Naruto said awkwardly. He racked his brain trying to work out why his friend was there. It was the weekend, so this couldn't be about skipping class. Even if it had been, it wouldn't be the first time. Despite knowing that he was paying for his classes, and getting a wake up call from Haku, often he would somehow doze off again and awaken hours later, miraculously back in his bed, or with his hair full of cold ramen.

"You're not dressed," Sai pointed out blandly. Naruto looked down. It was true, he was standing in just his boxers, having neglected the stage in his morning routine where he showered and dressed. He was surprised he hadn't noticed before. He looked back up at Sai who remained expressionless.

"No, I guess not," Naruto said.

"If this was an adult film, you would invite me in now, so that we could engage in anal intercourse," Sai said flatly. Naruto blinked at him.

_'You wish I would,'_ Naruto said, in a world where Haku wasn't lying under hard sheets in a hospital bed and Zabuza wasn't motionless in a morgue. "Did you want something, Sai?"

If Sai noticed the drastic change in Naruto's attitude from the usual bouncy, light-hearted one he normally affected, he made no gesture.

"I did, actually," he said instead, watching Naruto expectantly.

"Can it wait? I'm sort of in the middle of something."

"I'm afraid it can't," Sai replied coolly. Naruto regarded him for a second, before stepping back, pulling the door open further so he could enter.

"Come in then," he murmured, closing the door when Sai stepped through, looking around.

"So this is your new flat," Sai stated rather than asked. His eyes flicked impassively from the tiny kitchen to the overflowing bedroom, and then to the sofa, where he took a seat, moving the newspaper onto the coffee table. He put the cardboard box on the floor at his feet.

"Uh, yeah," Naruto said, realising that this was the first time his friend had been there. "Do you want something to drink? I can make tea." It seemed very, very stupid to be offering refreshments at a time like this. Naruto cruelly wished he hadn't opened the door.

"Just water, please."

"Got it." Naruto brought two glasses of water, handing one to Sai and holding on to the other himself, vaguely wishing it was something stronger. From the look Sai was giving him, whatever this was about, Naruto didn't think the conversation was going to be an easy one.

"Thank you," Sai said, bringing the glass to his lips and taking a few measured sips. Naruto wondered if he was really thirsty at all, or just thought it was good manners to accept a drink.

"Just a second, let me put some clothes on," Naruto said, leaving his water on the coffee table next to the newspaper and disappearing into his room. He reappeared a few seconds later tugging a green t-shirt on and wearing the black trousers he had worn the night before, having grabbed the items closest. Sai smiled at him benignly.

"Now you are dressed."

"Yes, it kinda seems like that doesn't it," Naruto said sarcastically. "So what's up?" he asked after a few seconds. His flat wasn't really made for entertaining, and with Sai on the sofa there wasn't really anywhere for him to sit, so he settled for perching on the opposite arm of the sofa and picked up his water again.

"Were you at the club on Friday?" Sai asked casually, his gaze calm. Naruto licked his lips nervously. He was too tired, too stressed for this.

"Nope, I had the evening off," he lied. Checking Sai's expression, he decided to take a risk. "It's crazy what happened, isn't it?"

"What is it exactly that happened, Naruto?" Sai queried. Naruto's smile froze.

"You know," he started. "The shooting."

"Ah," said Sai with a nod, as if Naruto had said 'you know, the drink prices going up.' "I see. But you weren't there?"

"No," Naruto repeated. "It was my day off." He didn't like lying, but there wasn't much of an alternative. Sai knew he worked in the bar with Haku but he knew nothing about Zabuza or the jobs Naruto did for him. Sai blinked, considering.

"You shouldn't lie, Naruto," he said at last. "You can't be very good at it if even I can tell." Naruto said nothing. It was true, he hadn't ever been good at lying. He preferred to simply edge around the truth. Haku, on the other hand, was able to say anything at all with a neutral expression. The ability had got them out of many difficult situations in the past. "Here is what I know. On Friday night, four people were found dead in one of the private rooms of the club." Naruto choked on the abruptness of the statement. "One a politician, one a known criminal, and two presumably bodyguards. Given the circumstances, foul play is suspected."

"Was all of that in the newspaper?" Naruto asked, swallowing.

"Not all of it," Sai said with a smile that was completely out of place. "I don't know why you are asking me though. Didn't you read it in the papers too?"

"Oh. Yeah. I did," Naruto said unconvincingly.

"Perhaps on Saturday morning. You would have woken earlier than usual, since you didn't work the previous night," Sai continued innocently. Naruto thought it was best to say nothing at this point. "Except when I came to visit you at about midday, there was no one here."

"I was out," Naruto mumbled. Sai looked at him inquiringly.

"Out?" he echoed.

"Yeah, out. In town," he said randomly.

"Seeing Haku?" Sai suggested. Naruto flinched."I stopped by the shop too. He was supposed to be working but he didn't show up. He didn't call in sick, however."

"What do you want?" Naruto asked finally. "If you know something.."

"I do not know anything in particular," Sai interrupted. "And I do not want anything. You and I are friends, and the events of the past few days worry me." Naruto studied his friend, watching the dark eyes and seeing nothing but honesty.

"I'm fine," Naruto said finally. "And even if I'm not, it's not something you can help me with. Not unless you're sitting on a truckload of cash somewhere?" Sai looked at him curiously, a strange look passing over his face, made all the more noticeable by his usual lack of visible emotion. "Sai?"

"I do not, Naruto," Sai said bluntly. "I am sorry."

"Heh," Naruto forced out. He wasn't depressed, he hadn't expected anything. "It's fine. I might not even..." Sai cleared his throat quietly, bringing Naruto out of his reverie.

"I do however have something of yours." He reached down to the cardboard box that Naruto had all but forgotten and lifted it, putting it on the sofa between the two of them. Naruto furrowed his brow for a second before recognising it.

"Oh, right, yeah," he said. He knew he should be feeling happy, but the emotion was too distant to be perceived. Over a month ago, when he was still moving into his flat and things had been hectic, he had given Sai the box to take care of. What he actually wanted preserving was the keepsakes hidden beneath the layers of clothes. Zabuza's apartment was busy enough without Naruto moving his things out of it, and he had been worried the contents would get lost or damaged. He could have asked Haku to look after it, but had suspected that he would be curious and look inside. So he had given it to Sai, who he doubted had any interest in any secrets that Naruto might or might not be keeping. Upon seeing it, he suddenly felt uneasy. It seemed Sai was not as unconcerned as he had appeared to be. "Thanks," he added awkwardly.

"I have something... else," Sai added, opening his bag and pulling out an envelope. He hesitated before placing it on top of the cardboard box.

"Sai?" Naruto queried, looking at the unmarked envelope, confused.

"You are an interesting person, Naruto," Sai said, as though Naruto hadn't spoken. "I knew you were keeping secrets, but you continue to surprise me. I will go now." He stood up and Naruto did too, feeling confused. Wasn't he the one who kept getting surprised? "You are busy."

"Uh, yeah," Naruto agreed, incredibly verbose. He felt like he should apologise for some reason, but he didn't know for what. Woodenly, he walked Sai to the door and opened it. Sai stepped through, then turned to look back, brushing his fringe to the side, out of his eyes.

"I am sorry about what I did," he said clearly. "I didn't know." With that cryptic comment, he turned and walked quickly to the end of the corridor, disappearing around a corner, leaving Naruto feeling dazed. He closed the door, leaning against it and closing his eyes. Why had the conversation left him so exhausted? It was as though they were talking about a jigsaw, but Naruto only had half the pieces, while Sai knew exactly what the finished picture would look like.

Moving away from the door, he flopped onto the couch, wincing as something sharp poked the side of his thigh. Wiggling, he realised it was in his pocket and pulled out a small rectangle of cardboard, looking at it curiously. At first glance, he couldn't think how it had appeared in his pocket, then he turned it over and recognised Sakura's handwriting. He put it on the coffee table in front of him, next to the newspaper open on Sasuke's page. How someone that didn't care for females had managed to land himself such a dedicated fiancée was a mystery he supposed he would never figure out.

Feeling more comfortable, he shifted forward to look at the box and envelope. Setting the latter aside for the moment, he opened the flaps and moved aside the clothes, relieved when he saw the familiar lid of the box he had hidden inside. Everything seemed to be as he had left it, perhaps a little rearranged, but that could have happened in transit. He replaced the clothes and moved the box to the floor, turning to the envelope and wondering if that was what Sai had been apologising for.

The envelope was thick, as if filled with a stack of postcards, and unsealed. Naruto slid out its contents and was confused to see photographs. He knew Sai did modules in photography and was skilled with a camera, but Naruto was confused as to why he had been given the photographs. A part of him wanted to put them down and leave the mystery for another day, while he tried to work out if he had anything else he could sell, but the rest of him was curious. The photographs were the old six by four inches type that used to be predominant, but were now becoming less common due to the prevalence of digital cameras.

What was stranger was that the first photograph was of him. It was the kind of picture taken when the photographer put his arms out in front of him and holds the camera there, so the result is always a little lopsided. The boy smiling up at him with spiky blond hair and round cheeks looked about eleven. He didn't have any photos of himself at that age, but he was still sure it was him. The smile was unmistakable. He stared at it for a few seconds, not processing it, and then moved it to the back, looking at the next one. This one was partially covered up by a blurry object which was likely to be a finger, and Naruto couldn't see much of whatever was behind it. In the next, the scenery changed dramatically, depicting a blurry green woodland scene. Naruto felt a weird sense of déjà vu, as he remembered snatches of his dream from the hospital, but then it was gone, replaced with the view in the photograph. The next few photographs were of trees, bushes and the like. With each shot the photographer seemed to gain confidence. Naruto didn't see himself again, so assumed it was him taking the pictures. They became clearer, focussing on a particularly thick tree trunk, or a clump of flowers. In many pictures, Naruto started to be able to make out a figure, sometimes half cut out of the shot, sometimes in the background. The features weren't clear, but Naruto got the impression of dark hair and pale skin. _Sasuke_, his memory whispered. He ignored it. As the snaps continued, the passage of time became clear, as the light dimmed a little. Towards the back were eight photographs that made Naruto's breath catch. They depicted a copper coloured fox among the grass, in various states of motion. Some were a little blurry, catching a sudden motion, but they were beautiful none the less.

The phone rang, knocking Naruto out of his reverie. He jumped up to get it, photographs still clasped in his hand, and nearly tripped trying to reach the phone. Grabbing it, he pressed the accept button and stumbled back to the couch.

"Hello?" He said breathlessly.

"Naruto it's me," came Sakura's voice. "I'm supposed to ask the receptionist to call, but I wanted to speak to you myself, so I got your number off the record sheet."

"That's fine," Naruto said impatiently. "What's going on?" He heard a pause, as if Sakura was looking around.

"Haku woke up," she said quickly.

"What? When?!" Naruto exclaimed, clutching the phone tightly.

"Just now." A pause. "But Naruto, we had a test back and..." Naruto's heart clenched tightly in his chest, squeezing painfully so that he could hardly breath through the sensation. "It's not good news."

"Got it," Naruto forced out from dry lips. He stood up, dropping the photos. "I'll be there soon." He didn't wait for her to answer, just hung up and left the phone on the table, before rushing to his bedroom to get his keys and then to the door to get his jacket and shoes. He looked wildly around the flat, trying to work out if he needed to take anything. Spying his phone, he stumbled to the coffee table and grabbed it, taking two steps towards the door and stopping.

So confused he was momentarily blind sighted, he turned, his eyebrows pinched together. He moved back to the coffee table and looked down. While most of the photographs he had dropped had landed on the floor, one had landed on the coffee table. Perhaps by chance. Or perhaps it was fate. Unlike the others, he recognised the scene depicted. It was the same scene he had had nightmares about for years, awakening in the darkness to find Haku looking at him anxiously. It was the only photograph taken with flash, the light illuminating the otherwise dark room and clearly showing the frighteningly blank face of Itachi Uchiha, hands dripping with the still warm blood of his parents.

Naruto choked, leaning forward so that his hands were braced on the table, unable to look away from the photograph. Every moment that he had tried to repress came spinning back to him. The smell of blood, the coldness of the air, the fine trembling in Sasuke's hands and the unrelenting sound of dripping.

He felt sick, felt like he was back in that room, consumed by fear with every molecule of his being screaming at him to run and he couldn't explain, couldn't force his mind to accept that there wasn't anything to run from. He took a few breaths, trying to concentrate on the simple in-out motion, and let the moments roll past until he regained some semblance of control.

This was what Sai had been apologising for, Naruto realised. He needn't have worried, Naruto was far too preoccupied to be upset with him for developing a film. He had hardly remembered that he had the film, and never entertained the thought that this particular scene had been preserved on it.

Why now? He thought desperately. He had enough to worry about, had far too much to squeeze into his head without adding to it. He couldn't deal with this right now, he needed to go to the hospital, to check on Haku, to find out what he needed to be afraid of. He didn't need his past rearing up like this and threatening to fragment his already weak grasp on reality. Mind made up, Naruto reached for the photograph, with half a mind to put it away, and half a mind to tear it, but when he picked it up, he found he had picked up the business card with Sakura's address on it as well. The business card with Sasuke's address on it. His eyes flickered from the card, to the photograph, to the newspaper article; confused and testing and not quite comprehending.

Whatever was wrong with Haku, he would need money. Lots of money, if the tremor in Sakura's voice had been anything to judge by. Naruto looked at the three items, laid out on the table like pieces of evidence. Maybe this time, for once, fate had decided to throw him a bone.

*

Walking back through the automatic doors of the hospital Naruto was oddly calm. He still felt like he was about to be condemned to death, but the knowledge gave him some small reassurance. He felt like the person hanging from a bungee cord, watching the threads slowly snap, knowing that the plummet to the ground was imminent and unavoidable. With acceptance came a surreal wave of serenity. There was still fear, but it was tucked away and labelled in his mind. Anger too was simmering just below the surface. But the uncertainty that had been keeping him on the edge, stinging at his mind was now gone. The constant worry of maybes that had been plaguing him for the past two days was no longer a maybe, now it was a certain. He had hit rock bottom, surely, and there was a comfort in knowing there was nowhere further to fall.

His steps were quick through the initial reception area, following the signs and walking past nurses, doctors, patients and visitors alike. Did they feel like he did, he wondered, as he passed the canteen, smelt the weak smell of the hospital meals that somehow, regardless of how they were prepared, tasted as sick as the patients that ate it. Had every visitor here had to come to terms with the fact that they might lose someone that they cared about? Were they all trying to fit their minds around the idea, to try and understand what seemed impossible? Did they all feel the same rage, the same helplessness when they thought about the cost? Probably not, they were for the most part protected by their company insurance, or the money they had put away 'just in case.' Naruto had neither, but at least he had a chance now.

Years of working behind the scenes with Zabuza, of watching plans being carried out and deals negotiated allowed a rough draft of an idea, flimsy and intangible, to form in his mind. The specifics were so hazy as to appear non-existent, but the idea itself... It was a starting block. Although he felt a burning sense of purpose, of determination, there was no real satisfaction. After trying for so long to maintain a barrier between himself and Zabuza, after repeatedly redefining the boundaries to keep the two of them separate, here he was, following in his shoes. Not Haku, the disciple, the one that would have climbed mountains and swum seas just to get close to Zabuza, just to breath the same air as him. No, instead it was Naruto, the extra, the loud mouth. the one who had been sure that eventually, never mind how long, he would leave it all behind and start afresh. The one who had hoped for something better.

Perhaps that had been his problem all along, he considered as he neared Haku's ward. Perhaps if he had been satisfied with the life he had lived in the first place, he wouldn't have had it almost snatched away like this. He snorted softly to himself, no he didn't believe that, and thinking in that fashion was pointless.

The doors to the ward swung open and Naruto stepped inside, ignoring the request to use the antibacterial gel on his hands. His eyes were drawn immediately to Haku's bed, and to his surprise he saw the familiar figure sitting up, feet on the floor and hands braced on either side, as though about to stand. Naruto didn't remember moving, but the next thing he knew, he was kneeling next to Haku, his arms tight around him and his head pressed into his uninjured shoulder. He felt the body tense under his grip, then relax as Haku patted his arm awkwardly, his movement restricted by the hug.

"Hi Naruto," Haku said softly, his breath puffing into Naruto's hair, making a few strands tickle the back of his neck. Naruto didn't reply, just pressed closer, shuffling slightly so that his knees bumped into the side of Haku's leg. "You're wearing shoes on the bed." Naruto let out a shaky breath that might have been a laugh, and then breathed in deeply, recognising the scent overlaid with the sharp tang of disinfectant and the brittle hospital smell of sickness. In the last few days, all he'd thought of was Haku, even when he was doing something else, but he hadn't been _with_ him, and it felt like they had been apart for years. Naruto adjusted his grip slightly, freeing Haku's somewhat pinned arms, and smoothed his hands over Haku's shoulder, feeling the bones peeking through and then gripping the material of the hospital gown clumsily. Haku had lost some weight, felt so frail in Naruto's hands. The material of the gown was soft and cool against his cheek, while his nose was pressed against skin. It had been a long, long time since they had just sat like this, and Naruto wasn't sure it would come again.

Haku seemed content to let Naruto hold him, occasionally patting his arm, so they sat quietly, letting the world move around them. From the next bed over, Naruto heard a visitor laugh. A squeaky trolley was wheeled around, offering refreshments to the patients. The doors swung open and footsteps tapped along the floor. Naruto closed his eyes, and when he opened them was surprised to see the skin of Haku's neck was wet, the moisture sinking into the pale blue of the hospital gown so that it turned darker, the colour of rain clouds.

Finally, he felt composed enough to draw back, scrubbing hastily at his eyes with one hand and staring unabashedly at Haku. He drank in the familiar heart shaped face, the warm brown eyes, the slightly uplifted mouth that showed Haku was as pleased to see him as he was to see Haku. Naruto noted that Haku looked paler than usual, his skin seemed dry and despite having slept for so long, there were shadows under his eyes. But his smile was genuine and it took a lot of restraint for Naruto not to hug him again. It was like he had been drifting around, missing a hand, and not realising it until he found it again. He sniffed embarrassingly loudly and shuffled slightly on the bed so that he was a little more comfortable.

"Hi," he said finally, when he felt his voice was under control. Haku gave him another smile.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Naruto snorted, looked away and then back again.

"I'm fine. I'm not the one that got shot," he said meaningfully.

"I guess not," Haku said lightly, his hand absently raising to brush over his shoulder, drawing Naruto's eyes to the patch of gauze peeking above the wide neck of the gown. "But you don't look brilliant."

"Thanks," Naruto said sarcastically, before his smiled drooped. "It's been a tough few days."

"I can believe that," Haku replied, his eyes glazing slightly. Naruto debated anxiously in his mind whether or not to speak.

"I'm sorry about Zabuza-" he started but Haku stopped him.

"There's no need," he said quietly, before frowning slightly and looking at Naruto with sharp eyes. "Why would you apologise? You lost him too."

"Yeah..." Naruto agreed, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly before ploughing on ahead. "But you and Zabuza were like..."

"Were like _what_?" Haku asked.

"Just - You know," Naruto said with a nervous shrug, glancing away again. Haku looked slightly irritated, before his expression morphed into surprise.

"Oh."

"Yeah," Naruto said, rubbing his hands against his knees.

"You know?" Haku asked blankly.

"Yeah," Naruto repeated, not quite meeting his friend's eyes.

"Oh." Haku opened his mouth, and then looked away, closing it again. He pressed his lips together neatly, so that the pink drained away, leaving them white and bloodless before they coloured again. "I see."

"It doesn't matter," Naruto blurted out suddenly. At Haku's gaze, he stumbled on. "I mean, I don't - It's not - After everything that's happened..."

"Is that why you were so strange last week?" Haku asked softly, his hair falling in front of his face, hiding his eyes as he looked at his lap where his hands were folded. "Did you see us?"

"Yeah. 'M sorry," Naruto mumbled. Haku said nothing, and when Naruto looked up, he saw three little dots on Haku's gown, next to where his hands lay. The drops looked like tiny smudges, glistening for a second before soaking into the material. Naruto wanted to offer some comfort, but could think of none to give. Instead he watched Haku's hands, pale and still.

"I saw Sakura," Haku said finally. "She was here when I woke up. I thought I was sixteen again and everything that had happened since was a dream." His voice was controlled, but sounded like water.

"It's weird seeing her, isn't it?" Naruto agreed. He hesitated. "What did she say?"

"She said she will be here in about fifteen minutes to explain all the medical terms," Haku said. "But whatever she says, it's irrelevant." Naruto frowned.

"What?"

"Naruto..." Haku sighed. "We both know that paying for the operation I already had is going to be a struggle. There's no way we would be able to get enough together to pay for whatever I'll need. Really, I'm lucky to have lived so normally for so long." Haku spoke calmly, as though his own life was trivial. "We'll just have to take whatever is offered."

"And if it's not enough?" Naruto asked, his voice low. Haku shrugged his unharmed shoulder.

"I'm not afraid of dying. Not really."

Naruto swallowed at the words, not trying to hide the hurt he felt. Haku's tone was so serene, so accepting. Naruto felt nauseous. He tried for a moment to imagine what his life would be like with what Haku was suggesting. Empty. Hollow. Painful. Naruto squared his jaw. Haku might not be afraid of dying, but Naruto was terrified, cold with fear at the idea of losing him.

"You're not going to die."

"We all die, at one time or another," Haku said mirthlessly, the corners of his mouth pulled downwards. "It's inevitable."

"Right, but you're gonna die like that," Naruto said. "In the inevitable way. In fifty years when you're lying in bed with white hair and stuff."

"Naruto..." Haku started, but Naruto shook his head, standing up.

"Look, don't worry about it. I'll fix it with Sakura, you're going to be fine," he said briskly. Haku gave him a strange, searching look, still sitting on the edge of the bed as he had when Naruto entered the ward.

"Naruto... What's going on?" He asked finally. "What are you going to do?" Naruto shook his head and smiled.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine, you'll see." _Whatever I have to._


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my lovely beta Frickative who is an awful person.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

The morning had begun in the usual way. It was a Wednesday, and he and Sakura had broken up on Monday evening. Kakashi had visited him on Tuesday and he had stayed up until midnight surfing the internet for articles about himself, as well as looking at the newspaper so intensely that he now knew the article about him by heart, as well as the one about the chimp with an iPod. On the dot of 5am, Sasuke's eyes had opened. He had showered, dressed, eaten breakfast and then returned to his room to finish preparing. While using a little gel to style his hair, looking at his reflection in the mirror, he noticed the bed was empty.

Turning, his hands still smoothing through his hair, he had realised that he found it strange, seeing the bed without Sakura. Now the apartment was just his, and it felt _empty_. That was stupid, he knew. Apartments were just buildings, just spaces. Still, it felt like Sakura should be there, he kept expecting to see a flash of pink hair out of the corner of his eyes, or turn to see her smiling warmly at him. He missed her, Sasuke realised, missed her being around. Maybe one day, they could be friends. He was glad that he hadn't brought Suigetsu back to the apartment. Their brief conversation had degenerated as soon as they left the bar, into kissing and touching. Sasuke had eventually called it to a stop, feeling that a simple escape had gone a bit too far. While one or two guys had hit on him in college, he had never gone further than a little flirting, and the sane part of his mind knew that grinding with a guy he had met five minutes ago in an alley behind a club wasn't the best time to start. His partner had been a little put out, but had slipped him his number and left. The photograph, Sasuke concluded as he straightened his tie, had to have been taken while they were caught up. He had probably passed over the flash as passing headlights.

After that, his day had progressed normally. He left the apartment and drove to work, then headed to his office and booted up his computer, exactly how as a teenager he would have imaged he would start his day. Then, he logged onto his emails, and the black feeling he had been repressing reared up again.

One of important things about running any business was image, Sasuke had learnt long ago.

"A company is only as successful as long as the public supports it, and a good image is necessary for support," Kakashi had said with a knowing smile. Sasuke had said nothing at the time, just nodded and filed it away in the recesses of his mind, but had secretly viewed it as superfluous. True, all companies were dependent on public opinion to an extent, but the idea that he, Sasuke, would ever do anything scandalous enough to tarnish his image was laughable. He knew all too well how he appeared to almost anyone who saw him. Handsome, skilled, quiet, with a tragic past. Coupled with a steady, perfect girlfriend and an apparently positive relationship with his brother despite their 'childhood trauma,' the persona of Sasuke Uchiha was almost impossible to find fault with. Any that were apparent, be it his oft too cold demeanour or any brusque comments could be swept away with remarks of 'it was a miracle he turned out as well as he did, given his past.' Any positives were embellished by his triumph over adversity. It had seemed like the perfect formula, unbeatable. On top of that, Sasuke foresaw no need to test its success. At the time he had been still at university, seeing Sakura, with vague ideas about the future which were all respectable. All and any of his previous misdemeanours had been covered up by Kakashi and placed firmly in the past. His public image was not something he would ever have to put more than a moderate amount of effort into, he had concluded.

Upon opening his emails that morning he realised just how wrong his smug nineteen year old self had been. There were over a hundred, several from Kakashi, one from Sakura, some from various other companies that he was either in partnership with or negotiating with and the rest from different departments in Uchiha Corp. Sasuke licked his lips nervously, moving the cursor to open them one by one, his complexion paling at each subsequent message. The ones from Kakashi were serious for once, instead of the joking, light-hearted prose he normally adopted, summarising the departmental memos and pointing out which required the most attention. The one from Sakura was blank, and he realised then - with a fierce pang of regret, perhaps the strongest emotion he had ever felt towards his ex-fiancée- that she had no doubt seen the picture and would now have to put up with the shame and embarrassment that would accompany the scandal. A small comfort was that the press wouldn't be hounding her, since even Sasuke didn't know where she was staying, and the hospital she interned at would have adequate security. Going back to his main emails, setting thoughts of Sakura aside for the moment, he skimmed through them again, this time cataloguing each piece of information and forming a picture, while trying to quell the growing panic.

Years earlier, before Sasuke had even finished school, before Kakashi had started quietly teaching him how to co-run a company, he had taught him simple life lessons.

"Every action has consequences," Kakashi had told him, as Sasuke lay surly-faced in hospital, his skin as pale as the sheets. He had woken up after having his stomach pumped of the mass of sleeping pills he had ingested, and that was the first thing Kakashi had said, his eyes serious. He said the same thing when Sasuke had resorted to drinking himself into oblivion on the fifth anniversary of his parents' death and nearly choked on his own vomit, and the same thing a year before when Itachi had announced he intended to stop travelling and take control of the company, and Sasuke had responded by accepting an invitation from a local gang leader and letting himself be coerced into trying a pill that left him unable to tell which way was up.

However, despite his platitudes and memorable phrases, Kakashi had never once made Sasuke take the fall whenever he blundered. Instead, he would take care of it all, take care of Sasuke, and make sure that it was all so meticulously handled that it never became public knowledge. Sasuke was never punished, he was just informed, softly and unremittingly, that his actions did not stand alone. With the information came a gentle threat; that one day Sasuke would no longer be a teenager, his desperate acts would affect more than just himself, and there was a limit to how much Kakashi could repair, how many cracks he could smooth over.

This time, the emails were clinical. There were no gentle rebukes, no disappointment, and no heavy life lessons. The subtext, however, was clear. _You fucked up_, and this time there would be consequences. This time he would have to fix it himself, because Kakashi couldn't. Sasuke swallowed, switching off his monitor and leaning back in his chair. A quarter of partner companies had issued complaints, and a few had straight out withdrawn. Share prices were down, the heads of departments were overwhelmed, and the image that Sasuke had outwardly projected for years, with one photograph, was shattering.

Regardless of how modern, how accepting the world claimed to be, the majority of people were still conservative, still prone to shy away from anything unknown, anything unexpected. Unfortunately Sasuke, who had always sold himself as respectable and reliable, had suddenly revealed himself as a loose canon. It was inevitable that the company would suffer along with his reputation, perhaps irreparably unless the situation was handled with the utmost care. Although outwardly calm, Sasuke was inwardly seething. He was furious at himself, because he had only himself to blame. When his parents had died, the corporation, due to some confusing legalities, had no clear leader to inherit it until either Sasuke or Itachi came of age, and instead was given over to an assortment of sub officers. Under this precarious management it wavered, until out of nowhere, Kakashi appeared with some confusing legalities of his own, proving himself both the guardian of the Uchiha brothers and the company until Itachi came of age. Sasuke, twelve years old, reeling from his parents' murder and the betrayal of his brother, unable to sleep through the night and knowing nothing about business, promised himself at that point that as soon as he could, he would take over the company and cement it so thoroughly that it would never again waver. That even if he was weak, even if he could never turn Itachi over to the police, he could do that for his parents. He could take care of the establishment they had worked so hard for.

And yet, in one moment of ill-thought spontaneity, he might have ruined it all. What had he been thinking? He tipped his head back and looked at the ceiling. Now what? The company wasn't in dire straits, could continue functioning, but its stability was on the rocks, and at this point indecisiveness could cause it to flounder. What he needed was a game plan. The first thing would be damage control. He should make a statement... Sasuke frowned at the thought, he hated that sort of publicity, preferring any press conferences he did to be linked directly to business. Still, if he spun it right, he should be able to win back some of their less alienated sponsors. Some he feared were completely irredeemable at this point, and though loss of their support was by no means debilitating, it would mean some of the more enterprising ventures would have to be postponed or scrapped altogether. Sasuke scowled at the thought, it was hard enough to get backing for anything new in the first place, and now he would be going backwards. The internal departments seemed shaken up from what Kakashi was saying, so that would need attention... Sasuke rubbed his temples, he had been awake for less than three hours and already his head was throbbing.

A sharp knock at the door caused him to glance up in confusion. His watch read only seven twenty five, and Karin shouldn't be so early. Sasuke watched door open smoothly and silently, to reveal his brother.

"Itachi."

"Sasuke," his brother replied solemnly. It was a rare occurrence that Itachi stepped into Sasuke's office. Any business between them was conducted in a meeting room, or over the phone. Sasuke could in fact count the number of times that Itachi had stood in front of the desk, as he did now, on one hand. All of those occasions had ended with him telling his brother on no uncertain terms to 'get the hell out.' Itachi was dressed in a charcoal grey suit, its soft lines odds with his blank expression, and a black tie. Under his arm was a tan folder a few centimetres thick.

"Did you want something?" Sasuke said, struggling to keep his voice even. He hated being alone with his brother because the conflicting emotions he felt towards him clamoured so loudly that they drowned everything else out, thrashing like birds against the bars of their cages. Usually, when a person entered Sasuke's office, with the occasional exception of Sakura, they jumped straight in at their point. It was understood that Sasuke was a busy person, that his time was not to be infringed upon lightly. Itachi did not share the sentiment, there was no urgency in his movements, nor did his expression betray any suggestion that he felt he was imposing. Rather, he behaved as though he was perfectly at ease, in his own office, or perhaps in his apartment which Sasuke had only seen a handful of times, most recently when his brother went on a business trip and insisted that Sasuke water his bonsai tree which turned out to be non-existent.

"Have you checked your emails?" Itachi asked in a bland voice, standing in front of Sasuke's desk. He ran his fingers along the edge, before picking up the photo frame Sasuke had left there and inspecting it.

"Of course I have," Sasuke growled, half standing in order to swipe the photo frame back. It was empty, he knew, since removing the picture of Sakura and himself, and no doubt Itachi found it hilarious, but he said nothing. Perhaps his mind had become so warped that he didn't register amusement anymore. Sasuke searched his memories, trying to work out the last time he heard his brother laugh, and was not entirely surprised to come up blank. "What of them?"

"You've caused quite a stir," Itachi continued, eyes flickering up occasionally to meet Sasuke's, voice remaining even as he ran a finger along the top of the computer monitor.

"I'm aware," Sasuke said stonily. "Do you have a point? If not, kindly remove yourself from my office, since I have a company to run."

"Co-run," Itachi corrected in a smooth baritone. His voice was calming, welcoming to listen to. When Sasuke was a child, full of questions about the world and everything in it, his brother had read him bedtime stories in that same voice, had explained what a rainbow was and where birds go in the winter and the best way to learn the six times table. Once upon a time it was the stable point in the middle of any confusion. Now, the cultured, inky voice made him want to retch.

"Yes, co-run, as if I could forget it," Sasuke said, seething. He picked up a pen and spun it distractedly, watching Itachi walk around his office as though at an art gallery, picking out anything of interest and contemplating it. Truth be told, Sasuke had never expected his brother to want to run the company, since he had never shown any interest and disappeared off travelling for a few years as soon as he came of age. When he officially took up the position as the president of the company, Sasuke had wondered if that hadn't been his motive for the murders so many years ago, but cast the idea aside, since Itachi would have become the head of the company as soon as their father retired anyway. Added to that, aware of Sasuke's desire to run the business, Itachi had, without any suggestion of hard feelings, agreed to work _with_ Sasuke, when as the eldest he was entitled to full ownership. Sasuke's personal opinion was that Itachi simply wanted to ruin his life, and realised that working together in such close quarters would afford him the most situations to make Sasuke wish he were dead. A plan which Sasuke tried to thwart by limiting their time together to absolutely unavoidable occasions, but in the current situation was working admirably.

"We're going to be busy in the next few days," Itachi said out of the blue. He had moved to the right hand side of the office and was admiring a sombre Dutch landscape that Sasuke had on the wall. The same one that had once hung in the entrance to their parents' house. Sasuke said nothing, simply gritted his teeth and waited for his brother to continue. "There are a selection of avenues open to us, provided we choose carefully, there is no need for this... incident," he said the world carefully, as though testing it out, "to be more than a minor slump. We need not suffer any lasting consequences."

"Is there a reason that you've come in here to tell me things that I already know?" Sasuke asked. Itachi turned his attention away from the painting for a second, before facing it again.

"Since the current problem was initiated by your actions, I am going to leave it to you to fix," Itachi said, as though Sasuke hadn't voiced a question. "You may decide what is the best course of action."

Sasuke frowned. "You're letting me make the decision?" he asked, putting the pen down and watching as his brother moved back towards the desk, his footsteps silent on the carpet. "What's the catch?" he asked suspiciously. Itachi raised his free hand, palm up, as if to show there was nothing up his sleeve.

"No catch," he said simply. "I would, however, like for you to take my opinions into consideration."

Sasuke snorted. "So it's the usual? I can do what I want until it collides with your ideas?" he asked sarcastically. Itachi shook his head, coming to stand in front of the desk.

"No, this time it's up to you. I will of course make my views clear, but whatever final decision you come to, I will agree." Sasuke's frown deepened.

"Why?" he asked bluntly. Itachi looked at him, finally, straight in the eyes for a few seconds.

"I would like very much, Sasuke, for you to trust me," he said finally. Sasuke stared for a few seconds, trying to read his brother's expression. Although he sounded genuine, his eyes were hard as usual, like there was a film in front of them and Sasuke was only seeing a chosen image, not the truth. He let out a rough breath.

"I'd say it's a bit too late for that," Sasuke replied, trying to keep his breathing even. "You seem to forget how very much I hate you. How much I wish I could make you feel an ounce of the pain you've caused me. I detest you, Itachi. I wish you were dead. I trusted you once, I wont be a fool again." His brother gave no visible reaction to the words, fixing Sasuke with the patronising look he had always used, the look that made his blood scream with anger.

"We both know that's not true," Itachi said finally, not specifying what he was referring to. Sasuke sighed angrily.

"If that's all, you can get out," he said, trying to be casual. "You know where the door is. Some of us here actually work." When Itachi made no move towards the door, Sasuke glared. "What?"

"Our Uncle Madara will be here this afternoon, Sasuke," Itachi informed him, his voice not altering in the least as he imparted the information. "No doubt he will have his own suggestions for you." That made Sasuke pause. Their uncle wasn't actually their actual uncle, more a distant cousin of their father's that spent the majority of his time travelling. He was the head of the Akatsuki group, which Itachi had been involved in between graduating from college and taking up the reigns at Uchiha Corp, and was more familiar with the older Uchiha than with Sasuke. Madara made occasional appearances in their life, and had been good friends with their parents before they died, although it was assumed his tangential connection to the main family was the reason he hadn't been named as Sasuke and Itachi's guardian in the event of an accident. Whenever he visited, Sasuke hardly saw him since Itachi seemed to dominate most of Madara's attention, and so Sasuke was curious as to why Itachi saw fit to mention it specifically.

"What of it?" Sasuke asked, feeling frustrated. He hated playing Itachi's ridiculous mind games. Itachi completely ignored the question, instead placing the tan file he had been holding on Sasuke's desk.

"I thought this might interest you," was all he said, before leaving. Sasuke stared at his brother's retreating back, and then the door as it closed, feeling utterly adrift, and at the same time furious. Closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair, he counted slowly from one to ten, picturing himself at the centre of a calm lake just as his therapist had taught him so many years ago. When he opened his eyes he still felt angry, so took a dog shaped stress ball that Kakashi had bought him for his last birthday from a desk drawer and squeezed it until his knuckles lost what little colour they had, and when that failed to make his anger dissipate, he threw it at the door. Fucking Itachi. He knew all the right buttons to press, with his unconcerned attitude, his stupid voice, his pretentious words. The worst part was that Sasuke's anger was also directed at himself. There was a tiny section of his heart, a minuscule square of his emotions that refused to be entirely consumed by hate towards his brother. Some part of him still remembered the amazing big brother Sasuke had once the one he had looked up to. Despite everything, Itachi still held some power over him, and it was more than frustrating.

As he sat mulling over the conversation, Karin popped her head in, wanting to know if everything was all right, apparently having seen Itachi leave and then heard the noise of the stress ball bouncing off the door. Sasuke replied that he was fine, and with a show of self-control, declined the alcohol in his morning coffee.

While Karin tottered off to get his drink, Sasuke glanced at the file Itachi had left. A part of him wanted to throw it in the bin, or maybe set it alight, to show without a doubt that he didn't care at all what Itachi thought 'might interest him.' The other part of him was curious, and so with a defeated sigh, he conceded he wouldn't get anything done before seeing the contents of the folder. Opening it, he looked at the first page reading the information, and his frown which had all but disappeared reasserted itself. After skimming over the first page, he flipped through, looking at the following pages, his confusion growing. He didn't bother reaching the end, sliding all the paper back into the folder and putting it into a drawer.

He was irritated with himself for caving and reading it, when he _knew_ what Itachi was like. His main aim in life was clearly to make him miserable, and his latest behaviour fell under the title of 'mind-fuck.'

The file, as far as Sasuke could see, was similar to a police report, but less professional, obviously compiled by someone outside of the force. From the summary, it detailed the disappearance of the chief of police in the city they lived in, more than twenty years ago. Why Itachi thought Sasuke would be interested in something that had occurred before he was even born, Sasuke didn't know. More likely, he wanted Sasuke to _think_ there was something important there, while the information had no connection to him whatsoever. That's all it ever was with Itachi: riddles within riddles, all for his own sick amusement. Well, thought Sasuke, he wouldn't be confused this time. Leave Itachi to his games, Sasuke had a company to run.

Usually, Sasuke's working followed a typical structure, but he knew by now not to expect that. When Karin brought his coffee, she stared at him for a few seconds instead of just leaving.

"Can I help you with something, Karin?" Sasuke asked, looking up from his screen when she didn't move away. He tapped a final key and pressed send, before diverting his attention to Karin.

"You're in the paper," she said without preamble. Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm aware," Sasuke repeated.

"I didn't know you were gay," Karin said suddenly, defensively. "I thought you were engaged to that pink-haired girl." Sasuke thought this was rather low of Karin, since there was no way she hadn't caught Sakura's name in the last three years.

"I'm not, I was," Sasuke said flatly. The company was teetering on the edge and Karin was questioning his sexual preferences. Then again, that was the _reason_ the company was teetering in the first place. "I'm rather busy, if there isn't anything else." Karin pouted.

"Suigetsu is my boyfriend, you know," she said with an intense look.

"Oh," Sasuke said, speechless by his secretary for the first time in his life.

"I'm just saying," Karin carried on, flicking her red hair over her shoulder. "If you were into that sort of thing, the three of us could-"

"Thank you, Karin, I'm not," Sasuke interjected. "In fact, I'm actually extremely extremely busy, so I'd be grateful if you could just..." he trailed off, looking pointedly at the door. Karin adjusted her glasses with a huff.

"Okay, okay, I was just offering," she muttered, leaving. As soon as the door shut Sasuke slumped in his seat. That reaction had just not been expected.

*

Sasuke allowed himself two days to try and pull the company away from the brink before he called a board meeting to discuss long term solutions. It was held in one of the conference rooms with windows along one side and a long table in the centre. Sasuke sat at one end, and Itachi at the other, as was customary, although Itachi rarely spoke during the meetings unless it was to voice an opinion, and so Sasuke usually led the discussion. In addition, Karin sat to Sasuke's left with a planner and notebook spread on the table in front of her, ready to take down anything he asked, while Kisame, Itachi's personal assistant sat next to him with his PDA at the ready. Sasuke rarely heard Kisame speak, the preferred method of communication between Itachi and his PA seemed to be significant looks alone. To Sasuke's right was an empty chair and to Itachi's left was Madara.

"I thought the meeting was scheduled to begin at eleven o'clock?" Madara asked innocently. His appearance was similar to Sasuke and Itachi, with dark hair and dark eyes. Although his features were older, they remained elegant, yet his eyes and mouth seemed tempered with an edge of cruelty. Why exactly he was present in the meeting Sasuke didn't know, but Itachi had allowed him in. Madara owned the Akatsuki group, which had begun by investing and preserving artwork, but had branched extensively in more recent years into the mainstream business industry.

"It was," Sasuke said calmly, when Itachi made no move to answer. Madara raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Do you always start so late?" he enquired.

"We wait until everyone has arrived," Sasuke said through gritted teeth. There was something about Madara that irritated him beyond belief. Everything about him was so patronising and he had an infuriating manner of looking through people, as though they were panes of glass instead of human beings.

Fortunately, Madara's reply was cut off by the door opening. Kakashi, wearing a suit with the tie loosely done and a friendly smile walked in.

"Sorry I'm late everyone, I was propositioned by a young lady from accounting and I was worried if I let her down without finesse she would lose my payslips," he said cheerfully, sauntering to the table and slipping into the previously vacant seat next to Sasuke. Across from him, Karin rolled her eyes.

"It's fine," Sasuke said shortly. "We have company." He waved his hand across the table in the direction of his uncle.

"I see that," Kakashi said, his voice pleasant, giving Madara a small wave. "Madara, it's been a while."

"Too long, Kakashi," Madara replied in a friendly tone. "I'm surprised Uchiha Corp lets you get away with being so perpetually tardy. It would never be tolerated at the Akatsuki." Kakashi gave a little laugh, his smile never wavering.

"At Uchiha Corp we rate loyalty and ability over a trifle such as punctuality," Sasuke interjected, forcing a smile.

"Ah ah Sasuke," Madara replied with a patronising smile. "How can loyalty and ability benefit you if both are unreliable?"

"I wouldn't say being three minutes late to one board meeting constitutes unreliability," Sasuke retorted evenly. Next to him, Karin nervously rolled her pen between her first finger and thumb. Across the table, Itachi watched impassively, as though observing a television programme of uninteresting content.

"But I seem to remember him being late even when he was training back in the Konoha offices," Madara commented. Sasuke tightened his grip on the arm rests of his chair.

"I think you'll find things have changed since then, Uncle," Sasuke said lightly. "After all, that was a long, long, _long_ time ago, wasn't it?" Although their argument, disguised as easy banter, ran fluidly, Sasuke had rarely seen, or spoken to his uncle in recent years. After all, Madara had only ever been interested in Itachi. Sasuke couldn't understand why after all this time he should suddenly want to take part in the machinations of the Uchiha Corporation. As far as Sasuke was concerned, he was the only Uchiha left. The company had been started by Sasuke's father, Fugaku, Itachi had relinquished any claim he had to the name by murdering his parents, and Madara too when he had refused to aid the company after the death of his brother, too busy launching his own company: the Akatsuki Group.

"I was under the impression this was a board meeting, not a playground," Itachi interjected tonelessly, his voice slicing through the conversation. Sasuke fought down a scowl at being shown up, in front of everyone, no less. Couldn't Itachi see what Madara was doing? Then again, Itachi had always been sickeningly devoted to their uncle, always available to cater to any whims, always listening to his opinion and taking his side. When as a child, Sasuke had asked Itachi what their uncle was always talking to him about, Itachi would poke him in the forehead and tell him he was too young to understand.

"Very well," Sasuke said briskly. "To business. I'm sure you are all aware of why we're here. Following the incident on Monday evening-" Sasuke thought he heard Madara snicker, but ignored him, "there have been several matters that need addressing in the company. Kakashi?" Nodding, Kakashi stood up, one hand in his pocket, his posture relaxed, although his eyes were sharp.

"As of ten o'clock this morning, a quarter of our partners have withdrawn, share prices are down by a third, we've had eight percent of our staff resign and more are expected by the end of the week. As a result, most of our projects are being put on hold, and net productivity is suffering."

"Which partners have withdrawn, may I ask?" Madara put forth, leaning back in his chair speculatively. Kakashi glanced at Sasuke who nodded.

"Haworth, Jubilee-Rock and Ekkelsia," Kakashi listed off, before sitting back down.

"Jubilee-Rock and Ekkelsia I can understand," Madara commented, "but I thought Haworth was chemical based, why would they withdraw?"

"Karin?" Sasuke said, tilting his head. Karin stood, smoothing her skirt and flipping her file open.

"The Haworth Foundation is primarily based on chemical engineering, but recently has been extending into a public service to get young people more involved in science, and as a result have withdrawn on the grounds of not wanting their image tarnished," Karin said, checking with Sasuke before she sat down.

"I see," Madara said. "Tut tut, three partners withdrawing, that isn't healthy."

"It's not debilitating," Sasuke shot back.

"I take it you have a proposition then?" Itachi asked. Sasuke nodded, before standing himself.

"Generally when a company experiences this kind of publicity and the fall out that comes with it, they try as had as they can to patch over the hole and stay adrift. In my opinion, this is the wrong approach to take," Sasuke said, glancing at Karin who passed him a few sheets of paper from her file which he passed out. "Here is my proposal. I believe we should consolidate our remaining strength, while using the media to our advantage. The reason that we haven't fallen further than this is that there is _some_ support out there, a bigger proportion than we credit, I believe. We need to tap into that." There was a shuffle as the sheets were passed around to Kakashi, Itachi and Madara, and Sasuke carefully watched their reactions, trying to mask his nervousness. This was the first time he was making a proposal completely on his own, without first consulting Kakashi, or merging it with one of Itachi's. Despite his cool exterior, Sasuke held the opinions of the three men in high esteem, regardless of his personal opinions. They knew the industry and each of them had more experience than he did.

A few seconds passed, in which they all read the proposal. When no one said anything, Sasuke cleared his throat.

"As you can see, the three main aims are publicity, restoring internal faith and a new partner," he explained.

"This is certainly interesting," Kakashi said, breaking the silence, his eyes still on the paper. "Are you sure it will work?"

"The idea is that we announce that we are offering a generous voluntary redundancy package to whoever feels they don't have a long term future at with us. That way, it quells any rumours that the company is floundering, and pacifies our current employees. We've been overdue a clean-up in personnel for a while now," Sasuke said, sitting back in his chair, relaxing in increments at not being openly challenged. "We have more staff than we need and as such the company can afford to let some take up the package. If some employees are uneasy, they're not dedicated to the company, and they're not working as well as they could be."

"If this goes wrong, we could lose more than half of our workforce," Itachi pointed out, looking up from the proposal.

"It's a worthwhile endeavour," Sasuke insisted. "In the past two years, the way the company has grown means that we had to hire without prior knowledge of how much manpower was required. Now we know, and we have a surplus."

"That wont be cheap," Madara said, raising his eyebrows. "Are you sure it wont further damage the company?"

"We can afford it," Sasuke affirmed. "That should settle any problems within the company for the short term, leaving the other two suggestions to deal with the long term."

"Aah, the publicity and the partnership?" Kakashi said.

"Yes, though the two are not mutually exclusive," Sasuke answered. "For publicity, along with a little sponsorship, a press conference is the obvious choice, in which the new partnership would be announced, along with a statement."

"That seems straightforward, Sasuke," Itachi said, with a little nod, putting his sheet of paper down, his dark eyes not leaving Sasuke's. "But you do not specify which company."

"That's true," Sasuke acknowledged with a nod. He knew that this was likely to be the biggest point of contention. Sasuke had always shied away from any sort of alliance which would constrict his movements, but for the support he required, that was what he now suggested. Since a proportion of Uchiha Corp would be in the hands of the proposed partner, the choice was not one to be taken lightly. "Although I have a company in mind, I would like your opinions on the matter." He sat back, folding his hands in front of him and looked first to Kakashi.

"Konoha?" Kakashi suggested, as Sasuke had anticipated. Kakashi had trained with the Konoha Group and only come over to Uchiha Corps when Sasuke's parents were killed as a service to the family which had sponsored him through his training. He was keen to establish ties with the company, and always mentioned them as a possibility to Sasuke.

"You know my opinion," Sasuke said dismissively. "They're too big, their interests are too diverse. Uchiha would get swallowed."

"Not necessarily," Kakashi disagreed, "but I understand your reasoning as I'm sure you understand mine." Sasuke nodded; Kakashi thought that Uchiha merging with a big, sprawling group like Konoha would take some of the weight off Sasuke. "Regardless, they just signed a contract with Suna, so perhaps it's better this way."

"Will you not consider the Akatsuki Group, Sasuke?" Madara asked suddenly, a thoughtful smile on his face. When Itachi had told him that Madara would be attending, Sasuke had wondered if his uncle wouldn't make the suggestion. On the one hand, it would be somewhat insulting if he didn't, sending the message that he considered Uchiha Corp below the radar of the Akatsuki Group, despite Akatsuki being founded relatively recently. On the other hand, Sasuke wasn't sure if the power gained from a partial merge with the Akatsuki would be worth having to see his uncle on a regular basis.

"I have," Sasuke started, choosing his words carefully, "however I'm not sure the Akatsuki Group would grant a stable enough base."

"The Akatsuki Group is very well respected," Madara pointed out. Next to Sasuke, Kakashi made a cough that sounded oddly like 'feared.'

"True, but its aims seem to be different to those of Uchiha," Sasuke pointed out calmly. Having heard from both Kakashi and Madara, Sasuke turned to his brother. "Itachi, what is your opinion?" Despite his brother having given him consent to make the decision alone, Sasuke felt that Itachi's answer was needed before he could get a clear picture of how to progress, and so waited edgily for his brother to speak.

"I believe," Itachi said after a few seconds, his voice monotonous, giving away no hint of contemplation, "that a partial merge with the Akatsuki Group would be the most beneficial." Madara glanced at Itachi as he finished speaking, but Itachi kept his gaze on Sasuke.

"Very well," Sasuke said coolly, with a nod, "I appreciate your input. I take it you all approve of the proposal?" He glanced around the table to gauge opinions.

"It's very clever of you, Sasuke," Madara said, making Sasuke want to punch him.

"Good. Kakashi, I want you to organise the press conference, we can't leave it much longer," Sasuke instructed.

"Consider it done," Kakashi said with a nod. Sasuke turned to his brother, half expecting to be ignored, but Itachi was watching him calmly.

"Itachi, can I leave you to go through the personnel?" Sasuke asked, unwilling to demand anything of his brother, in case Itachi saw fit to throw a spanner in the works. Whether or not he had given Sasuke permission to take care of this, he was still a co-president.

"Very well, little brother," Itachi said, giving a nod to Kisame who made a quick note in his PDA.

"The partnership I will take care of," Sasuke said, standing and smoothing down the front of his jacket. "That means we are finished, unless there are any queries?" There was a general murmur of assent, as everyone stood and trailed out, Kakashi disappeared first, then Itachi, Kisame and Madara, the latter giving Sasuke and a wide, false smile as he left.

Sasuke and Karin left last, walking the short distance through the top floor to Sasuke's office.

"So, Sasuke," Karin started, walking briskly on his left to keep up with Sasuke's pace, her folder clutched to her chest. "Have you decided on who you're gonna take for the merger?"

"Yes I have," Sasuke said as they reached his office, walking through the area where Karin had her desk. "Schedule a meeting with Orochimaru for tomorrow."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my lovely beta Frickative who is an awful person.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

During his career at Uchiha Corporations, Sasuke had never given a press conference. They were for politicians who needed good PR after a policy had gone wrong, or for celebrities with too much money and too few brain cells. There had never been a need before, so he was grateful that Kakashi, who did have some experience, was able to organise the whole thing.

It took place on Friday afternoon. A driver took Sasuke and Karin to the hotel which had been booked for the event, the sleek car cutting through the afternoon traffic effortlessly. Despite arriving over an hour before the conference would start, there was a small mob of photographers and reporters lining the way from where the car stopped to the entrance of the hotel, crowding the steps and blocking out the potted palms which stood on either side of the path. Sasuke stepped out, abandoning his usual cool glare for a calm smile and waiting for Karin to slip out of the car.

"Mr Uchiha! Is it true the company is bankrupt?"

"Who's the guy in the photograph?"

"Do you see yourself as a role model for gay men, Sasuke?"

Once Karin was safely out, steady despite her heels, the pair made their way through, ignoring the cries coming from reporters and the continuous blinding snaps of cameras, trying their best not to trip over due to the pressure on each side. Once at the entrance, Sasuke addressed the crowd.

"All questions will be answered during the press conference," he said, flashing a smile and retreating inside, his back to the wave of noise which followed his announcement. Sasuke and Karin were greeted by the owner of the hotel, a professional looking lady with a steely edge to her, who showed them through the lobby and into the large conference room. It was currently empty but full of navy blue chairs all facing the front of the room, where a long, narrow table stood. There were guards on the door, looking impressive in their black suits, and a large screen set on the wall behind the table. As they watched, the screen flickered on to show the Uchiha symbol of a white fan on a red circle.

"Ah Sasuke, you're here," Kakashi said, striding over to them as casual as ever. He gave the hotel owner a charming smile. "I can take them from here, thank you so much for your help." The woman giggled a little and walked off, snatching a look at him over her shoulder.

"Is everything set up?" Sasuke asked impatiently. Kakashi gestured for the three of them to walk together.

"Everything is fine, Sasuke," Kakashi said calmly. "As you can see, we have the screen set up, you'll sit at the front, the reporters will be called in in about forty minutes, they'll be some light refreshments at the back and then the conference will begin." As he spoke, a silver trolley laden with triangular sandwiches stacked like dominos passed them, the wheels soundless against the carpet.

"Good," Sasuke said. "Itachi?"

"Arrived ten minutes ago," Kakashi informed him. Sasuke nodded, glad Itachi was already there and feeling a twinge of irritation that his brother had had arrived first. "I've had a few calls asking for interviews after, I think it would be a good idea to do one exclusive."

"Hmm," Sasuke said thoughtfully. "Which papers?"

"All of them," Kakashi said, amused. "As well as a selection of magazines. Even a talk show. I knew you always said you would put Uchiha Corp on the map, but I never expected you to use this method."

"Magazines and talk shows definitely not," Sasuke said, ignoring Kakashi's comment and glaring at Karin who was giggling, causing her to force a serious expression and then when it failed, hide her face behind her folder. "They give out the wrong message. I don't want to be appearing on the next Big Brother. I'll do an exclusive interview with one of the papers, you choose, not one of the conservative ones, try one of the more liberal?" Sasuke suggested as Kakashi led them out of the main room through a side door, and into a wide corridor as lavishly furnished as the rest of the hotel.

"_The Herald_?" Kakashi asked, naming one of the lesser known papers that claimed to be apolitical and unbiased.

"That will do," Sasuke agreed.

The decision made, Kakashi led them to a moderately sized room housing two sofas, a coffee table, television and a mini fridge, with a door connecting to an en-suite, instructing them to freshen up before he left.

"Can I get you something, Sasuke?" Karin asked, holding her folder to her chest as he walked to the window, looking out at the urban view. From here, he could see the crowd outside, and noted that it had swelled in number.

"Yes, please, Karin," he said, turning from the glass to face her. Reassurance would be nice. "Coffee."

*

"As I am sure you are all aware, over the last week Uchiha Corporations has undergone many changes as part of a scheme to take advantage of all of our resources," Sasuke said, pausing to take a sip of water. The conference was going well so far, he hadn't stuttered, hadn't choked, hadn't forgotten what he was going to say. He was sitting the in middle of the conference table, facing around fifty reporters, with the photographers lined up at the back frantically snapping away. Luckily Kakashi had forewarned him of the distracting flashes and they hadn't caught him by surprise. To his right sat Itachi, looking smart and impassive but completely silent, to the extent that Sasuke feared there would be speculation on whether he _could_ talk in some of the articles. Madara was also present, although not on the table. He stood to the side, with Kakashi - who was leaning against a wall like he was in his own home - Karin and Kisame. Putting down his glass, softly minimising the noise it made touching the surface of the table, Sasuke swallowed, picking up where he left off. "Earlier this week we decided to make some changes to the company. One of these is that we signed a contract yesterday afternoon, creating a partnership with Otokagure Industries," Sasuke announced. He kept his face forward, monitoring the reaction of the crowd despite wanting desperately to know what Kakashi and his brother's reactions were. He had told no one of his intention, barring Karin and Orochimaru, the head of Oto, so it was coming as a surprise to most people in the room.

Sasuke knew that Kakashi was unlikely to be pleased. He had never supported Oto, since it so strongly competed with Konoha. That Orochimaru had trained with Konoha before going on to set up a rival company seemed unethical to Kakashi, since despite having left the Konoha Group many years ago, he still retained loyalty to it.

Itachi on the other hand, had made his feelings clear days before. He wanted Sasuke to merge the company with the Akatsuki Group, which in itself was reason enough to make Sasuke want to do no such thing. Sasuke supposed that Itachi, in his insanity, had thought that by giving Sasuke permission to make the decision, if Sasuke had gone along with Itachi's suggestion, it would have melded the rift between them. Or perhaps he had wanted to show his younger brother that regardless of preference, Itachi always knew what was best for the company. Still, Sasuke was confident that he had outsmarted him this time. Instead of doing what Itachi had wanted, he had carved out his own avenue, away from the shadow of his brother, and away from his uncle.

Oto was a choice Sasuke hadn't previously considered due to Kakashi's bias against it, but a day after his photograph was put in the paper, Sasuke had received a message from Orochimaru suggesting a meeting. The idea had obvious merit, in that Oto was a successful business that would no doubt lend them a great deal of stability. Sasuke also appreciated its relatively small size, ensuring that Uchiha Corp wouldn't get swallowed. Another bonus was that after Orochimaru had left Konoha, he had briefly worked for the Akatsuki, meaning that Madara didn't view him fondly, so Sasuke saw in the situation another opportunity to irritate his uncle.

The downside, as far as Sasuke could tell, came in the form of Orochimaru. While the man was obviously intelligent and cultured, there was something about him that made Sasuke uneasy. His eyes for one were very intense, akin to a bright spotlight that made Sasuke feel uncomfortable, as did the lilting tone he used when he spoke. It made Sasuke feel like he was a delicious treat and Orochimaru was exercising self control in order to not devour him that very second.

Still, with that substantial negative aspect aside, a partnership with Otokagure would give him everything he desired and more, so he could put up with a few suggestive words and roving eyes for it. Furthermore, it sent out a bold message: Uchiha Corporations was changing.

As Sasuke finished speaking, he took another sip of water, moistening his palate before the questions started up. The air at the front of the room was hot and he hoped that he didn't look flustered. In front of the table, Kakashi chose various reporters to pitch their questions one at a time. The conference proceeded quickly after that, the questions mostly ones he had anticipated, referring to the company's current status, their novel relationship with Otokagure Industries and of course about the photograph in the newspapers. On that topic, Sasuke had decided to play it casual, calling Suigetsu a "good friend" and his current relationship status as "unattached." Kakashi had chosen mainly serious reporters that were more interested in the business aspect, so the questions were not overly probing.

After about twenty minutes of answering questions, Kakashi announced that the conference was over, and suggested the assorted masses partake of the refreshments at the back of the room. It was a relief for Sasuke, since the flash of cameras was starting to become extremely irritating, and his tie was suffocating him. As the reporters stood, so did Sasuke and Itachi, following Kakashi out of the room.

"Interesting decision, little brother," Itachi murmured as they walked, his voice so soft Sasuke almost didn't hear it over the buzz of conversation in the room. As they were shown through the door, the noise died down and Sasuke could hear Itachi more clearly, although his brother kept his voice low. "I see you didn't take my advice."

"I make my own decisions, thanks," Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes and giving a superior smirk. "Whatever you think you're doing, it's not going to work. I'm not your pawn. We're brothers by blood, nothing else." Itachi's expression gave nothing away. His mouth was set in a straight line, neither smiling or scowling, but his eyes-

"This way, Sasuke," Kakashi interrupted, turning around to steer Sasuke and Karin into the room he had been resting in before the conference. "For your interview."

"Sure," said Sasuke distractedly, as Itachi moved past and further along the hallway, presenting Sasuke with a view of the back of his designer suit jacket. Sasuke walked through the door Kakashi had opened. By the sofas, standing as they walked in was a pretty young woman with long blonde hair, sharp eyes and a notebook clutched in one hand, next to a man with short black hair and blank eyes, with a camera around his neck. Kakashi briskly introduced them as the reporter and photographer that would be interviewing them.

The interview proceeded smoothly, the woman asking question after question with a recorder sitting on the table between them, jotting down points every now and then, while the photographer waited until the end to take pictures of Sasuke in various casual positions. The latter portion was slightly irritating, as the photographer was the type to keep up conversation by way of questions in order to keep the interviewee relaxed. Sasuke had encountered the type before, however this time, he just wanted the whole interview finished as soon as possible, he was too distracted to think clearly and half of the answers he gave were automatic.

Even as he left, following a promise from Kakashi that they would talk about Oto Industries tomorrow, Sasuke couldn't focus. As he left the hotel, he was three steps down before he realised what was bothering him about the look Itachi had given him.

_"Interesting, little brother. I see you didn't take my advice."_ The words were calm, devoid of emotion.

_"I make my own decisions, thanks,"_ Sasuke had scoffed. And then that look. That strange emotion in Itachi's eyes

Sasuke had deliberately gone against Itachi's wishes to join with the Akatsuki Group, after Itachi had specifically given the responsibility to him in a show of trust. In his place, Sasuke would have been furious.

So why had there been relief in his brother's eyes?

*

"I really didn't think the press conference went so badly," was Kakashi's opening comment. Sasuke hadn't heard the door open, but Kakashi was leaning against the doorframe, one hand in his pocket, looking unconcerned. It was difficult to see him in sharp clarity, partially because Sasuke had neglected to turn on the lights so the only light in the room was from the thinly veiled moon, and partially due to the open whiskey bottle sitting on his desk, between his stapler and his empty glass. Sasuke wasn't drunk, but he was on the way and the interruption irritated him.

He glared at Kakashi, who met his gaze impassively.

"What?" Sasuke said dumbly, when Kakashi failed to leave. Instead of answering his question or moving further in, Kakashi just ignored Sasuke.

"Do you know what time it is?" he asked casually, shifting in a little way which caused the light to flick off his wristwatch. Sasuke narrowed his somewhat bleary eyes, reaching for the whiskey bottle and pouring himself another shot.

"I know what you're trying to say," he said finally, keeping his eyes on the liquid sloshing unsteadily into the glass. "It's nearly midnight. I'm sitting in my office, alone, drinking."

"First the tabloid photograph, now this," Kakashi said lightly, his tone amused but his eyes flinty. "That's quite the rock 'n' roll lifestyle you're cultivating." Sasuke snorted, raising his glass and sipping at the whiskey, before swirling it idly.

"Yes. I'm certainly veering off the rails," he remarked dryly. "Next I'll try to kill myself." He paused. "Oh, silly me. We already did that." Finishing his drink, he swallowed and cleared his throat, taking a breath and then putting the glass down. He had spilt a little whiskey, and it sat in a pool on the wood of his desk. It would probably leave a mark. When there was no comment from Kakashi, Sasuke looked up, to find the man in the same position, his expression impossible to read. "If you're here to chastise me, I can do it myself."

"I came to congratulate you on a successful press conference," Kakashi said, looking at the door as though it held great interest. "You handled it well, even if I disagree with you on some points."

"Hn, thanks," Sasuke grunted sarcastically. Kakashi cocked his head, eyes back on Sasuke.

"So? Why are you acting like a middle-aged accountant with a failed marriage and a small fortune of debt?"

Sasuke glared at the bottle, fingers curling around it, about to pour again, then decided against it, setting the bottle down again so that the liquid sloshed against the glass.

"Madara said to merge with the Akatsuki," Sasuke began, his voice gravelly and low, releasing the bottle and folding his hands on the desk. "Itachi said to merge with the Akatsuki." He swallowed. "I signed the contract with Oto."

"And?"

"And why wasn't Itachi angry?" Sasuke hissed, his hands clenching to fists without him realising. "If it had been me, I would have been furious. He seemed..." Sasuke trailed off, letting out an impatient breath and grabbing the bottle again, pouring it angrily so more liquid spilt.

"They say you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth," Kakashi remarked blandly, not giving a clear opinion. His eyes were fixed on the window behind Sasuke's desk, looking out onto the city skyline.

"It's not a gift," Sasuke said grimly. "Itachi is playing me. He's always been playing me. He _knows_ something, and no matter what I do-" he cut himself off angrily, throwing the drink back carelessly, heedless of the burn. "He treats me like a child." Kakashi was silent for a moment as Sasuke cradled the now empty glass in both hands. He could feel the buzz of the alcohol morph into something more than just a buzz, but instead of the usual calm it brought, his anger increased.

"How does the whiskey help?" Kakashi enquired mildly. He had moved, Sasuke realised at one point, and was now standing squarely in the doorway.

"Itachi," Sasuke began, "never drinks. His tolerance is stupidly low and he hates to give up control. Burning up alcohol," Sasuke lifted the bottle and gave it a little shake, "is the only thing I can do better than him." There was quiet as Sasuke leaned back in his chair, tipping his head up.

"That's pathetic," Kakashi said after a moment.

"I know," answered Sasuke. Seconds later, he heard the sound of the door closing.

*

"Sasuke Uchiha of Uchiha Corporations gave a conference yesterday announcing changes to the company after recent events. Highest on the agenda was his controversial partnership with Otokagure Industries, but the move has been met with a generally positive response. For more on that and all our business stories, tune into Business Hour." The news reporter paused, shuffling her papers as the camera angle changed and fixing a more serious expression on her face. "Our top story today: Four found dead in a bar in downtown Konoha. The bodies of four men have been discovered in the back room of a club. The bodies are believed to be belonging to known criminals, although it is at this moment unclear as to how all the murders occurred. Police investigating the club stumbled upon the shocking revelation that the building was a base for a small scale underground crime operation. The investag-" The woman's steely voice was cut off as Sasuke pressed a button on his remote and the plasma screen went black.

Sasuke leaned back in his chair pensively, leaving the small remote on the desk. Kakashi had been right, the press conference had been a relative success. Likewise, the changes Sasuke had made were working well; for now Uchiha Corp was out of danger. Partnering with Oto had immediate and obvious benefits; two thirds of Uchiha Corp's halted projects were back on track and a few key members of staff that had resigned had been promptly replaced by fully qualified and able Otokagure employees, only two hours after Sasuke had mentioned his irritation at the situation to Orochimaru.

In terms of business, everything was going according to plan. It was a Saturday, but given the recent changes and the fact that Sasuke co-ran the company, he had come into the office, as had Itachi. They had been busy all morning and Sasuke had skipped lunch, much to Karin's dismay, in order to get through all the work. It was now six o'clock in the evening, and Sasuke allowed himself to unwind and reflect. This morning, same as always, Itachi had walked past Sasuke's office on the way to his own. He had sat through meetings with Sasuke, commenting when he felt it necessary, instructing Kisame, doing his job. Everything was normal, and yet... Sasuke let out an impatient breath. He couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. He ran a hand through his hair. Perhaps he was imagining the whole thing. He was under a lot of pressure, first Sakura, then Suigetsu, the company… No wonder Itachi's teasing was getting to him more than usual.

Sasuke drummed his fingers along the desk, idly picking up the remote and tapping it. There was no reason to let Itachi's ridiculous games influence him, he decided. He had done the right thing, the company was safe again, he was in control.

"Watching a little television?" Kakashi remarked, having opened the door and walked to into the room without Sasuke noticing. "Why not? I'm more of literary man myself," Kakashi continued jovially. "Actually, if you were interested, I could lend you some-"

"Kakashi," Sasuke cut him off. "What is it?" When Sasuke was eighteen, Kakashi had walked in on him and Sakura in a compromising position. When Sasuke had screamed at him to 'get the fuck out' Kakashi had given him an offended, surprised look. He gave him the same look now. "Cut the crap."

"Language," Kakashi warned, before straightening his posture minutely. "Very well, Itachi wants you to look at the records from before I took over Uchiha Corporations." Sasuke blinked at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Itachi wants you to-" Kakashi began but Sasuke stopped him with a wave of his hand, his brow furrowed.

"He wants me to look over the records from before our parents died? Why?" Sasuke asked, completely bewildered.

"He said he wants to check what their major projects were with a view to restarting them," Kakashi said nonchalantly. "You know that many of the projects were postponed indefinitely when I took over, and most of them weren't restarted."

"What?" Sasuke asked, incredulously. "Those plans would have to be about a decade old, what merit could they possibly have?" The idea was ridiculous, and Sasuke couldn't believe his brother had come up with it.

"You'd have to ask Itachi," Kakashi replied, fishing a ring of keys out of his pocket and throwing them to Sasuke, who caught them automatically. "The records are all in storage in the basement, you'll need those." He gave a small wave and left, leaving Sasuke confounded. Why on earth would Itachi want to resurrect anything their parents had been working on? Any and all of their plans would be either impossible now, due to changes in other companies and the market, or completely redundant, even damaging.

In addition, Itachi wanted Sasuke to look through the records? That was what employees were for, not co-presidents. Sasuke clenched his jaw. Itachi expected him to drop everything just to cater to his ridiculous whim. If he was having a sudden burst of remorse and thought by pursuing a goal his parents had been aiming for about ten years ago he could atone for his sins, he was clearly less sane than Sasuke had previously given him credit for. Just one day after the company had been brought back from the edge, Itachi seemed to want to throw it back over again.

Sasuke shoved the keys into a drawer at his desk and stood up angrily, leaving his jacket where he had slung it over the back of his chair. If Itachi thought Sasuke was just going to jump at his bidding he had another thing coming. And to ask Kakashi to pass the message on instead of telling him to his face!

Since it was a Saturday, the office was mostly empty, the cubicles between Sasuke's office and Itachi's deserted for the most part. Kakashi was nowhere in sight, and Sasuke supposed he was reading porn in the photocopier room.

Itachi's office was directly opposite Sasuke's, although the latter rarely ventured there, preferring to communicate with his brother through the internal phone system, email, or not at all. His door was polished brown wood with a silver plaque which read "Itachi Uchiha, Co-President." Before Sasuke had started work, it had read "President." Sasuke had waited for his brother to complain about having to have a new sign made, but he had never done so. Then again, Sasuke had waited for Itachi's anger over the contract with Oto and that had never came. Nor the miraculous deus ex machina of an explanation as to why their parents weren't dead, and how Itachi had staged the whole thing. Maybe it meant that Sasuke didn't know his brother as well as he thought he did. Or maybe just that Itachi was so damn crazy that there was no way to predict how he would react.

Sasuke was deliberating between knocking on the door or barging straight in. Knocking wouldn't convey his anger as well, but barging straight in would too closely resemble a childish tantrum. He was raising his fist to rap sharply against the wood when a noise from inside the room made him pause. Sasuke quickly recognised his brother's low voice, but couldn't hear anyone else. His first thought was that Itachi was talking to himself, yet another addition to the list of evidence to prove his lacking sanity. Sasuke's anger ebbed away in the face of curiosity, and he pushed the door open slightly, the sound muffled by the carpet, looking through the narrow gap he was afforded.

Fortunately, Itachi had his back to the door. He was standing in front of his desk, looking out of the window, and Sasuke realised he was on the phone. One hand was holding the receiver to his ear, the spiral cord pulled taut from the base at the desk, the other running through the front of his hair which was tied in a low ponytail as was his custom.

His theory of insanity disproved, Sasuke considered simply closing the door and returning to his office. He could butt heads with Itachi on Monday. However, he felt a sudden sense of unease, making him reluctant to leave. Frowning, he peered back into the room, trying to see what was triggering such a reaction.

The office looked normal; impeccably tidy as usual. In fact, Sasuke realised, his frown deepening, the only thing that looked out of place was Itachi. For one thing, Itachi preferred to sit behind his desk when conducting business, which Sasuke suspected was for intimidation purposes. Additionally, there was a line of tension between Itachi's shoulders; he had his jacket off and was wearing only his white shirt, sleeves rolled up slightly. And since when did he ever run his hands through his hair? Itachi prided himself on looking smart all the time and Sasuke had never seen him mess up the style in a moment of agitation.

Intrigued, and fighting down the tiniest, buoying force of concern, Sasuke settled back down, trying to hear what was being said that had Itachi in such a state. Itachi's voice was low and calm, but Sasuke could detect a faint note of strain in it.

"-I know, you know I do," Itachi was saying. He paused, looking down at his desk and for a moment Sasuke thought he would turn around, but he didn't. "Your paranoia is becoming your defining characteristic." That sounded a little more like the brother he knew. "Yes, I'm aware."

Outside the door, Sasuke shifted uncomfortably, aware of how ridiculous he would look to anyone who walked past, and how obvious what he was doing would be.

"If you're going to start doubting me-" Itachi stopped, evidently having been cut off. There was a pause as the other person spoke, but Sasuke could hear nothing. "I told you why I did that," Itachi said. He kept his voice even, but Sasuke could see that he was gripping the phone tightly. "You can say what you like," Itachi remarked coolly, after a second, "you need me." Sasuke didn't know what the person on the other end of the line had said, but Itachi suddenly went even more rigid, his posture impossibly tense. Somehow, his tone didn't waver. "You are free to do what you like," he said dismissively, although his grip on the phone didn't lessen at all, "but Sasuke would be no use."

Upon hearing his name, Sasuke tensed, then felt as though he had been punched as he processed what had been said. He didn't understand the conversation, but hearing his big brother saying that he was useless... To his horror, he felt his eyes prickle slightly, and he blinked furiously. He was over that, he told himself. Itachi could rot in hell for all he cared, in fact it would be nothing but justice if he did. Itachi killed his parents, and ruined his life, and he didn't give a damn what that bastard thought.

Sasuke forced himself to focus back on the conversation, swallowing down all his emotions and peering back through the narrow gap.

"Yes, I know. It's under control," Itachi was saying, seemingly more relaxed. "Enough, Madara, I have things to do." Itachi pulled the receiver away from his ear and replaced it gently on the base, before rolling his shoulders restlessly. Where had all the anger gone, Sasuke wondered, confused. And furthermore, he had been speaking to Sasuke's uncle? Sasuke knew that Itachi was Madara's favourite, but the way Itachi had been so on edge while speaking to him, and making an attempt to disguise it, was alarming. To see his usually composed brother like that made Sasuke suspect that there was more to this than met the eye. Sasuke watched for a few seconds as Itachi straightened himself out, then slipped away before his brother turned around so that he wouldn't be caught sneaking. Although a part of him wanted nothing more than to demand answers, he knew that Itachi wouldn't give them willingly and would most likely try to confuse him further.

Sasuke walked back to his office and closed the door, leaning against it. He sighed, letting his hand fall to his side and tipped his head back with a groan.

What the hell was going on?

*

After knocking eight times and waiting for four minutes, Sasuke came to the conclusion that Itachi wasn't in his office, which was extremely typical of him. Of course he would wait until Sasuke decided to look for him to disappear off. Sasuke had no idea where his brother could have gone. Granted, it was six o'clock on a weekday, but this was the first time Sasuke had found the opportunity to leave his office and call on his brother. Even with the new staff from Otokagure Industries, there was plenty to do. Sighing, Sasuke leaned against the wall, staring unseeing across the cubicles. He wasn't sure what he was going to say to Itachi when he finally caught up with him. What he wanted was answers.

Still leaning against the wall, Sasuke considered when he might be able to corner his brother. Every time he tried, he couldn't find Itachi alone, since he was almost always with Kisame. And it was hard enough to get away from his own work. Whenever he attempted it, Karin would telling him about a phone call, or Kakashi would check that he had got such and such a document. In addition, they had acquired a new head of accounting from Otokagure, Kabuto Yakushi, who although brilliant, having shown Sasuke dozens of ways to cut down on expenses in just a few days, had an irritating way of appearing out of nowhere, not unlike Kakashi.

Given the recent drama, he could hardly drop everything to interrogate his brother.

The whole thing was bewildering, Sasuke thought, and to make things worse, there was no one he could confide in. Sasuke was used to being solitary, it was in his nature, but in this he felt alone. His intuition told him that there was more to the mystery than he saw, and he had nothing concrete anyway. Only Itachi's strange behaviour, which was hardly evidence, since no one but Sasuke knew Itachi well enough to deem whether or not he was behaving normally.

"Something troubling you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's head snapped up at the voice, and he looked to the right, in the direction of the elevator, to see his uncle.

"Madara," he said, with a nod, wondering how he could have not heard the elevator door opening. People were catching him unaware more and more frequently, he must have really been out of it. "No, nothing," he finished, after processing the question. "I'm fine."

His uncle was in business wear as always, holding a briefcase in one hand with his long coat slung over the other, although why he had brought it Sasuke was clueless, since it was high summer.

"I said your name twice," Madara said, with a sceptical smile, his eyebrows raised. Sasuke blinked. He had been so distracted that he hadn't noticed his uncle speaking to him?

"I was thinking about some work," Sasuke said stiffly, moving away from the wall and glancing around the empty office.

"Aaah, your life rather revolves around it, doesn't it?" Madara said with a smile. "But if I do say so myself, your handling of the situation was admirable. The deal with Otokagure Industries... I wont deny I regret that you wouldn't join with the Akatsuki, but the company is safe for now. Itachi told me you made the decisions all yourself?"

"I consulted Kakashi a little but Itachi said he would back whatever I suggested." Startled by the sudden flattery, Sasuke spoke awkwardly, unsure what Madara's purpose was.

"I see," Madara said, sounding impressed. "I was under the impression that Itachi was the real president of the company, but it seems you're rather a dark horse." His tone was casual, as though he was leading up to a punch line, but the words made Sasuke seethe. Always always always. Ever since he was born, people had been seeing Itachi, never him. But... Madara sounded impressed. Rather than respond verbally, untrusting of this sudden new side of his uncle, Sasuke shrugged.

"Are you here for something in particular?" he managed, making an effort not to seem too rude. Although he still felt rather negative towards his uncle, the implications of being on better terms were not lost on him.

"I was looking for Itachi myself," Madara said, smiling in a way that curved his mouth, but his eyes stayed flat.

"He's not in," Sasuke said bluntly.

"I see, terrible luck," Madara said, not sounding particularly disappointed. "I shall catch him another time." With that, he gave Sasuke a wave and turned, walking to the elevator and stepping inside. Sasuke watched the doors close blankly. If Madara had wanted to see Itachi, why hadn't he called to find out where he was? And what had he wanted to see him for? Frowning, Sasuke put his hands in his pockets and walked back to his office. Stranger still, what had caused the sudden change in Madara's attitude to Sasuke? Was he genuinely impressed? Sasuke wasn't sure what to think of that.

He took his briefcase from his office, along with his suit jacket, and after tidying his desk a little, left. In the elevator, he checked his reflection. He had bags under his eyes; they were light, but he could see them. His face looked tighter than usual and he could feel a slight headache brewing behind his temples. The stress was getting to him, he realised with a grimace. The extra workload, Itachi, it was all catching up with him. In the past, whenever work hit a rough patch or he was pissed off at Itachi, he had Sakura. Even if he hadn't been in love with her, he had appreciated her attempts to soothe him. The way she would make his coffees perfectly, even better than the store bought ones Karin brought him, the way she would make his favourite dinner. When he was working on his laptop, hunched over the kitchen table, she would sometimes stand behind him, carding her fingers through his hair, relaxing him.

Sasuke let out a sigh as the elevator reached the bottom floor and he walked out across the empty lobby. That part of his life was over, and he might as well come to terms with it. Maybe he just wasn't fated for that sort of life, the kind with affection and calm domesticity. Then again, he hardly deserved it, given the way he had treated Sakura. He didn't blame her for leaving him. How was she doing now, he wondered. He was tempted to call her, just for the comfort of her voice, but he knew that that would be not only stupid, but also cruel. She deserved better, he thought with a dry swallow. He was better suited to the cold harsh reality of the world, bereft of distractions.

The drive home was uneventful, and as Sasuke took the elevator to his apartment, his thoughts were still on Itachi. As the lift ascended, Sasuke remembered when he had been four years old, and Itachi had taken him to a park. He didn't remember where the park was, or why they had gone, only that Itachi had pushed him on the swings. Maybe there had been other kids there, but he had only seen Itachi. Even then, his brother had been unreachable; reading a book and pushing him with one hand. Sasuke had been worried that Itachi would concentrate on the book too much and the swing would hit him, but Itachi just kept steadily pushing, with his head in the book. Sasuke had very few memories of ever spending time as brothers with Itachi. Aside from the one memory at the park, they would only ever play hide-and-seek. Itachi always hid behind the door.

Sasuke opened his front door. The apartment was dark, unlike the days when Sakura would have a meal ready for him. He'd have to make something, or maybe he could order out. His briefcase in his left hand, he reached for the light switch with his right and scowled when it didn't turn on. He put down his briefcase and kicked the door shut, about to head to the kitchen where he was sure spare light bulbs were kept.

The lamp in the lounge flicked on, the sudden glow of light unexpected, making Sasuke blink. Adrenaline shot through his veins, his stomach twisted, and Sasuke suddenly got the feeling his life was about to take another unexpected turn.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my lovely beta Frickative who is an awful person.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

The lamp was a tall, stand alone type, situated next to a rarely used armchair in which a man was sitting, his features lit up by the glow. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt with trainers, looking very much like an average university student. He had bright blond hair that made the rest of the room seem dull, and a smile that had the hint of strain to it. His eyes were hard. He looked familiar. He was tossing a light bulb between his hands, but stopped as he locked gazes with Sasuke.

"I took the bulb out," he said, his voice a little deeper than Sasuke had expected, and sounding casual. "I thought it made the whole thing more dramatic." He lifted the bulb, as though considering it, and then leaned forward to put it on the table in front of him. "I had to stand on a chair to do it, but I think it was worth it for the effect, y'know?" He tilted his head slightly, causing the light to catch his eyes. They were blue.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, uneasily. The corners of the man's mouth pulled up slightly, in a regretful smile, but it disappeared as he grinned widely.

"So you remember me after all. That's the Uchiha memory for you. You always were smart, even back in school," the man—Naruto—replied with a low laugh. "You used to get the best marks. I remember that." Sasuke stared, confused. The last time he had seen Naruto was over ten years ago. After that he had moved school and fully expected never to see the boy again. And now Naruto was sitting in Sasuke's armchair, looking completely at home. Since Sasuke said nothing, Naruto continued to speak. "It's a nice place you've got here," he said, standing and looking around. "Spacious. You should see the dump I live in. Not enough room to swing a fox. Not that I'd do that," Naruto offered with another grin.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke managed finally. Any and all social etiquettes that he knew did not cater to situations like these. The combination of seeing Naruto after so long, and having an almost stranger in his apartment, was like crossing two wires. Sasuke couldn't work out what was the correct reaction.

"Straight to business, huh?" Naruto asked. "Speaking of, I heard you're running Uchiha Corp now. It's a pretty big company. But you work with your brother, right?" Naruto's voice seemed to flicker slightly on 'brother' but he went on without faltering, looking at Sasuke as though waiting for confirmation. "You said you were gonna."

"Yeah," Sasuke said, his memory coming back in trickles, like water seeping through a tiny crack in a pane of glass. Naruto, the noisy, irritating boy in his class. The one always getting in fights, always shouting about something. Had they been friends? Sasuke couldn't quite remember, his memories of Naruto merged into nightmares of Itachi, with more clarity than he had felt in years. He mentally shook himself, trying to escape the thoughts.

"You did pretty well for yourself," Naruto continued. "Nice life. Funny to think we were kids together, but our lives ended up so different." His voice was sad, and Sasuke didn't think it was affected. So surreal, to have Naruto here, like a ghost, recounting the past and the future. Triggering memories that had long lain dormant.

"It's okay," Sasuke said with a shrug, finally putting down his briefcase and taking a few steps closer to the light. Naruto's expression darkened.

"'Okay'," he mimicked, with a look of muted scorn. "Living in an apartment like this, with a job people would kill for, with both girls _and_ guys throwing themselves at your feet is 'okay.'" He shook his head, muttering something low.

"Naruto," Sasuke started warily, so unsure as to where the two of them stood. On the surface, Naruto was treating him as a comrade, which was unfamiliar enough but from Sasuke's tousled memories, the way Naruto operated. On the other hand, there were a dozen questions chasing each other around Sasuke's head, and a dark glint in Naruto's eyes. "The door was-"

"Locked, yeah," Naruto said, the smile back on his face. "But you know, you should get a better lock. I could have picked that thing with my eyes closed. I was gonna, actually, but then I thought if someone came out, it'd look suspicious, and all my planning would go to waste." Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the end of the sentence, as Naruto continued to ramble. "And then the guard at the front, che," he made a sound of disapproval, "I hope you don't pay for that, because he doesn't know a thing. I told him the agency had sent me on your request, and he let me right up. As if you'd need a _callboy_. You could just call Sakura, or that guy from the paper, or hell, pick a random name from the phonebook. I bet they'd come running." In the same way as a few seconds ago, Naruto's expression darkened, like a cloud blocking out the sunlight. Then, so quickly Sasuke wondered if he wasn't a little bipolar, he brightened again, grinning condescendingly. "You really need to invest in some better security. You think all criminals run around in stripy shirts carrying a bag labelled 'loot'?"

"So you're saying that's what you are?" Sasuke asked, abandoning all pretence of politeness. Naruto offered him an unrepentant shrug.

"I don't see the point in giving it a name tag. Everyone breaks the law sometimes."

"The 'name tag' depends on the frequency and the severity," Sasuke replied.

"What's 'frequent'?" Naruto asked, grinning and leaning against the side of the chair, facing Sasuke.

"Well, have you committed a serious crime today?" Sasuke asked, voice cold. When Naruto smiled, Sasuke could see his teeth.

"Not yet." His voice was confident, certain. Dangerous.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked without preamble.

"Would you believe 'just to catch up'?" Naruto suggested lightly, amused. In the dim light, half of his features were thrown into shadow. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Thought not. Can't say I blame you. It doesn't pay to be too trusting these days."

"Get to the point or get out," Sasuke said shortly, all too aware that he had no real power in this. Calling the police, if that was even what he should do, was pointless, since Naruto would be long gone before they arrived. There was no way he could get to it without Naruto noticing. As much as it pained Sasuke to admit it, he was in a vulnerable position.

"I need a favour," Naruto said bluntly, his expression serious. "I know I haven't seen you in about ten years, not my fault by the way, you're the one who skipped town. And I haven't exactly come across as the most trustworthy person, but," he took a breath, eyes intent, "we were friends, a long time ago. Even if you hardly remember me, you must remember that. The day we saw that fox was one of the best days of my life. I guess that night was the worst of yours..." Sasuke stiffened, realising clearly, instead of the vague black feeling clustered in his chest, that Naruto had been there, been right behind him when he discovered his parents. Had watched him stumble in the dark, from room to room, looking for the source of the noise. Apart from Sasuke and Itachi, Naruto was the only other person that knew Itachi had killed his parents, Sasuke realised, trying to force his breathing to even out, pushing down the oppressive panic that was expanding in his throat as the memories sharpened in his mind. He had closed his eyes, he noticed suddenly, and snapped them open, to see Naruto looking at him with concern in his eyes, closer than before. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Sasuke snapped, feeling suddenly cornered. "What?" Naruto looked at him, considering, calculating.

"I need money," he said, abruptly, no sound of apology in his tone. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Don't look at me like that," Naruto said with a scowl. "It's not as if I like asking."

"How much?" Sasuke asked icily. Naruto looked a little taken aback, and then nervous. He licked his lips and told him. "That's not a small number."

"If it was, I wouldn't be asking, would I?" Naruto ground out. Sasuke watched his movements. "Well?"

"No," said Sasuke finally. Naruto hardly seemed disappointed, more like resigned. He shrugged.

"Thought not. Can't blame a guy for trying, right?" he said, a tight smile on his face. Sasuke stayed tense, confused by the lack of hostility. He watched as Naruto continued standing, making no move to leave.

"You're still here," Sasuke said, after a few seconds. "I said no."

"I heard," Naruto nodded. "I know I was never top of the class, but my hearing's fine."

"Then why are you still here?"

"Oh," Naruto said, as though remembering something. "I asked. You said no," he recounted, "can't say I blame you. But asking was Plan A."

"If you're planning on stealing the money, even if you take everything in here worth something, which you wont manage before the police arrive, you wont make anywhere near as much as you want," Sasuke said, with a slight smirk that disappeared as Naruto nodded.

"I know," he agreed. "That's not Plan B. I mean how would I get all the stuff past the security? They're dumb, but not that dumb. I could throw it out of the window and hope Sai caught it," he mused, seeming to forget Sasuke for a second before refocusing. "But as you said, I still wouldn't have enough money."

"Then what?" Sasuke asked roughly, adopting a sardonic tone. "Don't tell me you're going to play super villain and reveal your cunning plan?" To his surprise, Naruto didn't rise to the bait.

"There's nothing particularly cunning about it," Naruto said turning to the coffee table and picking up a plain brown envelope that Sasuke hadn't seen before. "I didn't like asking you for money before, but I hate what I'm about to do. For what it's worth Sasuke, I'm sorry, but I'm desperate. And this is the only option left. I haven't got a cunning plan. I haven't got time. And I really haven't got money. All I have is this." He hesitated for half a second, before his eyes hardened. Throughout his speech, his eyes had been earnest, compelling, and Sasuke had wanted to believe him. Now they spoke of resolve, desperation and repressed ire. Naruto held out the envelope. Frowning, Sasuke snatched it, flipping it over to look for any markings, but there were none, just smooth manila. It was a small envelope, the kind used to send informal letters, and unsealed. Opening it, Sasuke chanced to look away from Naruto, who wasn't meeting his eyes anyway, and pulled out its content. He first thought it was a blank white rectangle of card, until he turned it over and his heart stopped.

"Th-this is..." Sasuke whispered, looking at the photograph in disbelief, his hands shaking. He had thought that his memory of that night was perfect, crystal clear but repressed. He'd assumed that like all traumatic events, the memory would be flawlessly preserved, but he had been so, _so_ wrong. The memory was a dull shadow compared to the photograph he was faced with, and it superimposed itself on all his memories and nightmares, bringing them into such sharp resolution he could hardly breathe. To his horror, his muscles were suddenly weak and so relief outweighed humiliation when he felt warm arms guiding him to the sofa and calming words being spoken.

"It's just a photograph, it's not real," Naruto was saying, when the roaring in his ears died down enough for Sasuke to return to himself. He was seated on the couch, lit up by the lamp, with little recollection of moving there, still staring at the photograph in his hands. Shock pulled away suddenly, like the recoil of a wave, and anger flooded in. He looked up, his eyes livid, to Naruto. "Why do you have this?" he hissed. Naruto looked sad, as though he had expected the anger.

"Remember that night, I was fiddling with my camera?" Naruto asked rhetorically. "I somehow managed to take that. No idea how. I didn't even realise it was there until the film was developed a while ago." His tone was light, recounting past events as though to himself. Sasuke tore his eyes away from Itachi's blank, flat ones in the photograph, gripping the paper so hard it creased.

"Plan B is blackmail?" Sasuke gritted out. Naruto met his gaze calmly, resolute.

"You always were smart," he replied. Sasuke glared stonily, feeling the pieces come together. "Either you reconsider my request, or I send this to the newspapers," Naruto finished. He wasn't smiling.

"Hn, go ahead," Sasuke said. "I don't know why you would think I would stop you."

"Your brother would go to jail," Naruto said, watching Sasuke's reaction carefully.

"Fine by me," Sasuke said with a shrug. "Why would I care about the bastard who killed my parents?"

"You get points for acting, but that's all," Naruto said after a few seconds of consideration. "If you wanted Itachi locked away, you would have done it yourself a long time ago," he reasoned.

"Maybe I didn't have any evidence," Sasuke suggested, gripping the photograph. Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Fine, in that case you'll want to pay me for possession of the negative," he said. "But it's stupid to pretend that you don't care if I give that to the media."

"And why is that?" Sasuke asked, eyes wary.

"Because he's still your brother," Naruto said, as simply as though he was talking about the weather. "And that's gotta count for something."

"Maybe I don't care about that anymore," Sasuke shot back. "Maybe I've cut those ties."

"Maybe," Naruto agreed. "But I doubt it. Even if you have, you'll need me to keep my mouth shut."

"How do you reach that conclusion?" Sasuke asked, keeping his tone dry, sceptical.

"'Cause even if you don't have any warm fuzzy feelings towards your brother, you still can't afford the bad publicity it would cause if one of the co-presidents was found guilty of murder. Definitely not after the stunt you pulled last month," Naruto said, a tad smugly.

"You think you're holding all the cards, don't you?" Sasuke sneered. Naruto shrugged.

"Seems that way from where I'm standing. This is a good deal anyway," he insisted. "Sure, it's a lot of money, but you can afford it easily."

"And if I say no?" Sasuke asked. While he was still seated, Naruto was standing on the other side of the coffee table, just out of the circle of light, hands in his pockets, casual.

"You wont," Naruto replied. "But look, I'll give you two days to decide. I don't have a lot of time-" his expression looked pained for a brief moment, "-but I can give you that. Think it over. I'll show myself out." Naruto turned and walked through the semi-darkness, taking the few short steps to the door before Sasuke stopped him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked, causing Naruto to turn around questioningly. Sasuke held up the photograph.

"Heh, don't worry about that," Naruto answered with a little bitter smirk that Sasuke could hardly see in the dim light. "I've got plenty of copies." He paused before adding: "And Sasuke, I really am sorry." Then he was gone, the door closed and Sasuke was left sitting in the pool of lamplight, staring at the photograph and pretending that it was tiredness that made his hands shake, nothing else.

*

"Sasuke, are you alright?" Sasuke looked over his shoulder, before swivelling his chair around, away from the window, and facing Karin over his desk. She was standing in the doorway, one hand steadying herself on the frame (no wonder, those heels weren't made for walking) and biting her lip nervously, her eyes concerned.

"I'm fine," said Sasuke with a frown. "Is Itachi back yet?" Karin shook her head, making her hair bounce a little.

"No, he's still sick," she said apologetically. "I could write him a message?"

"There's no point," Sasuke said flatly. "Is Madara still around?"

"He's back in accounting, downstairs right now," Karin informed him. Sasuke nodded, satisfied.

"Good, when he comes back, tell him I'm still busy," Sasuke commanded. Karin, nodded, then hesitated.

"What shall I tell him you're doing?"

"I don't know Karin, you're the secretary, can't you come up with something? Tell him I'm in a call with Orochimaru," he threw out arbitrarily, tapping his fingers impatiently on the desk.

"I said that before," Karin said. "And also, Orochimaru keeps calling, he wants to schedule a meeting," she added.

"Tell him I'm busy," Sasuke instructed dismissively. Karin pursed her lips.

"He's called eight times today, Sasuke."

"Alright, fine," Sasuke said with a slight huff, sitting up straighter. "Tell him due to my brother's sudden and inexplicable sickness, I'm overloaded with work and will get back to him at the first possible opportunity.'"

"Right," said Karin, slowly. She looked to the side, and then back to Sasuke. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Sasuke stared at her, irritated. "I'm fine," he repeated. "Why?"

Karin raised perfectly plucked eyebrows at him. "When I came in, you were staring blankly out of the window, you've been asking me about Itachi all day, even though you know he walks past your office to get to his, Madara wants to speak to you for some reason but you're avoiding him, ditto Orochimaru, you've foisted Kabuto onto Kakashi, you're refusing to see him as well, you haven't actually done any work today, and even though my blouse has only three buttons done up, you haven't said a thing," Karin counted off on her fingers, pouting at the last one. Sasuke regarded her blankly, as several moments passed.

"I'm busy," he said flatly, finally, turning his chair back around to face the window. Karin stood in the office for a second before turning to leave. "And Karin, do up the buttons please, no need to give Kakashi ideas," Sasuke added in a weary voice. Karin slammed the door.

The view out of the window was nice. The sky was a hazy blue, the sun brightly illuminating the various buildings which rose up, solid against the backdrop. Scattering the horizon were trees, heavy with leaves that all blurred into one, like green fans pasted onto the sky. At this height, he couldn't see the people, or the cars, just the stationary, never changing scenery, the same today as it had been the day he moved into the office. One of the happier days of his life, he remembered.

There were so many, many thoughts swimming in his head. It had been two days since he met Naruto, making this judgement day. Or blackmail day. One of the two. Given the nature of the blackmail, the only person Sasuke could speak to was Itachi. Unfortunately, Itachi had called in sick for the last two days and was ignoring his emails and phone calls. To make matters worse, Madara had apparently transferred his interest to Sasuke, and kept appearing without a purpose, wishing to speak to him, which Sasuke was avoiding. Similarly, Orochimaru wanted to speak to him also, which under normal circumstances Sasuke would have agreed to, but right now just couldn't face.

Only Karin and Kakashi seemed to have noticed his slipping attitude. Outside the sanctuary of his office, he was trying to act normal, but it was near impossible with everything going on. Now, he had Naruto to contend with, on top of the mystery with Itachi and their uncle.

His intercom buzzed and he spun his chair, listening to it.

"Sasuke, Kabuto wants to see you," Karin's voice came through.

"I'm busy," Sasuke replied shortly. There was a pause and then:

"He says it's important."

"That doesn't make me any less busy," Sasuke said, turning off the intercom, unwilling to listen to any more of Karin, who was starting to sound more and more irritating.

Sasuke turned to his computer, moving his mouse to wake it up and then checking his emails which he had neglected attending to earlier. Anything serious, he forwarded to Kakashi with a note asking him to deal with it. There was one from Kabuto, which he ignored, three from Orochimaru, which he deleted, and one from his brother, reminding him to check the archives, which he deleted with scorn. Itachi apparently was fully able to make ridiculous requests via email, but incapable of reading his own. Madara had yet to start spamming his inbox, but Sasuke supposed it was only a matter of time.

There was a sharp rap on the door before Karin strode in.

"You turned off your intercom," she said icily. "What's the point in having an intercom if you turn it off?"

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, not looking up from the screen.

"You turned off your intercom so I had to come in!" Karin exclaimed.

"Look, I'm busy, I can 't talk to Kabuto, or Kakashi, or Orochimaru, or Madara, or anyone. Unless it's Itachi, is it Itachi?" Sasuke asked hopefully, looking over his monitor to where Karin stood with one hand on her hip.

"No, it's not Itachi," she said with a huff.

"I'm busy then," Sasuke said dismissively, turning back to the computer.

"But you have a delivery," Karin said, her voice edging on whiny.

"Sign for it then," Sasuke replied, becoming irritated. "That's your job isn't it?

"He says I can't, you have to sign for it apparently. It's very important, he says," Karin insisted, flipping her hair over her shoulders.

"Fine, I'll sign it," Sasuke said shortly, pushing his chair back and standing up. Relieved, Karin tottered out and returned a moment later, ushering someone into the office as Sasuke walked around his desk.

"_Man_, Sasuke, your secretary is _hot_," said Naruto. Karin's mouth dropped open.

"How dare you address Mr Uchiha like that?" she demanded, scandalised.

"Karin, leave," Sasuke directed with a tone that left no room for argument. With a slightly hurt look, she left the room, hair swinging. He turned to Naruto who was admiring the office.

"This is a nice office," he said, voice tinged with awe. "I actually think it's bigger than my apartment. And the view!" Naruto faced the window, his eyes wide. "Wo-ow."

"It's alright," Sasuke said, his eyes fixed on Naruto. Today he was wearing jeans and a green T-shirt. On his head was a cap printed with the name of a well known courier service, and he carried a clipboard in one hand and a square package in the other. When Sasuke met Naruto's eyes, he was scowling. "What?"

"You know what really pisses me off about you?" Naruto asked, not waiting for an answer. "You're so goddamn spoilt. You've always had everything handed to you. Luxury apartment, expensive car, swanky high rise office, and you have absolutely no appreciation. You have so much money you don't even know what to do with it."

"And what do you want to do with it?" Sasuke shot back. Naruto looked momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered.

"That's none of your business," he huffed, as though offended.

"It is if I'm going to give you the money," Sasuke corrected. "I don't want to be funding the mafia or some underground drug smuggling ring."

"It's for personal reasons," Naruto said. "You have my word." Sasuke looked at him coldly.

"And what is _that_ worth?" he asked, lip curling slightly. Naruto's mouth fell open a little, and he looked hurt, before hardening his expression.

"'Fraid it's all you're getting," Naruto said with faux-sympathy. "If it makes you feel better, I'm not part of the mafia, and as for the drugs; well that's more your thing, isn't it?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Very, _very_ few people knew about his somewhat rebellious youth, and he didn't recall sending the memo to Naruto.

"How do you know about that?" Sasuke bit out, watching Naruto as though expecting him to strike out like a snake at any moment. Naruto looked smug, dropping the clipboard on Sasuke's desk.

"Your brother's PA, Kisame? There's a reason you've never seen him drink anything except water. Alcohol makes him really, really talkative," Naruto disclosed with a wide grin. Sasuke digested the information silently, moving to stand in front of his desk, facing Naruto.

"I see you did your homework," he stated flatly.

"Thought it was about time I did," Naruto said with a grin, before leaning comfortably against the wood of Sasuke's desk. "But seriously, what kind of idiot starts something like this without doing a little research?"  
"Too easy," Sasuke replied, a slight grin on his face, which he removed as soon as he saw Naruto's surprised but pleased expression.

"Heh, yeah I guess," Naruto said haltingly. "You wanna get lunch? I'm starved." Sasuke had been wondering where Naruto got the cap from, but his eyes dropped down to meet Naruto's as he stared in disbelief.

"_What_?"

"Lunch, it's not breakfast, not dinner, happens around midday, I know this place that does _awesome_ fries," Naruto rambled, picking up his clipboard again and glancing at the papers.

"I thought you were supposed to be blackmailing me?" Sasuke half stated, half asked. Naruto looked stricken, grabbing his arm and looking frantically around the room.

"Shh," he hissed, putting a finger to his lips for added effect. "Not so loud! Are there cameras in here, d'you reckon?"

"Why would I put cameras in my private office?" Sasuke asked, nonplussed, looking down at Naruto who had dropped into a semi-crouch in his paranoia.

"Oh yeah," he said, looking sheepish and straightening up. "So, why are you just standing here? Get your wallet, let's _go_."

"Why are we going?" Sasuke asked, perplexed, but getting his jacket anyway from where he had left it on the back of his chair.

"I don't like talking business in an office," Naruto announced loftily, waiting by the door until Sasuke caught up with him and walked out.

"Sasuke!" Karin exclaimed, surprised, standing from her desk outside his office. "Where are you going?"

"To lunch," Sasuke replied succinctly.

"But you never go to-" Karin stopped as she registered Naruto standing behind Sasuke, giving her a jaunty wave. "Wait, you're going to lunch with _him_?" She raised her eyebrows in blatant disbelief, trailing her gaze over Naruto's appearance.

"Is there a problem?" Sasuke asked, irritated. Karin gave him a long stare before sitting back down, shaking her head.

"I really, really don't get you sometimes," she stated bluntly, before looking back to her computer, apparently fed up of trying to untangle the inner workings of his mind. Naruto looked at him questioningly which Sasuke ignored.

"C'mon," he muttered, walking out. As they walked through the main office area quickly (Sasuke had no desire to talk to Kakashi, Kabuto or whoever else might be hanging around) Naruto caught up with him.

"She's weird," he offered. "But I'd still totally hit it."

"Shut up," said Sasuke.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my lovely beta Frickative who is an awful person. Thanks for the reviews, you guys. I hope I replied to them all...

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

The radio that was perched on top of the dresser buzzed erratically. It wasn't on any particular station, rather switching between classical music and white noise, the latter winning out. The small bedroom was impeccably tidy, bed made with the cover drawn across it, all wrinkles smoothed out. The floor was free of clothes or rubbish, instead the worn navy carpet was clean, obviously recently vacuumed. The curtains were drawn and the window open, letting a little sunshine through and fresh air from outside wafted in. The drawers on the dresser, along with the wardrobe doors were all shut and the surfaces clear of dust. On the bedside table sat an alarm clock and a pile of cleaned and folded clothes, ready to be put away.

From the adjoining room came the soft splash of water, then dripping, and the sound of water being sucked into a drain. A few seconds later a man with long brown hair and delicate features walked into the bedroom, an orange towel around his waist, indicating he had just taken a bath. His upper body was bare, showing a somewhat damp patch of bandages near his shoulder, peeling at the edges. He dried himself a little, before going to the chest of drawers and selecting a pair of black trousers. He put them on and took a bright teeshirt from the pile of laundry, dropping it on the bed. From under the bed he pulled out a small box from which he took bandages, gaze and tape, and proceeded to reapply his dressings. Once he was finished, he threw the old bandages away and put on the teeshirt.

His hair was dry, so he tied it back into a ponytail without checking in the mirror before putting the clothes away and putting the towel back in the bathroom.

There was a soft knock at the door, and the man left the bedroom, walking through the lounge that had a small kitchenette attached to it, to the door.

"Who is it?" he called, standing behind the door.

"Sakura," came the muffled reply. He opened the door to reveal a woman with pale pink hair, wearing a crème trench coat and clutching a paper bag of groceries in one hand and a black bag in the other. "Hi Haku," she greeted him softly.

"Hi," he replied, opening the door further and gesturing into the flat. Sakura took a few steps in, her heels making no noise against the carpet. She seemed ill at ease, looking nervously around. "Is Naruto here?"

"I think you would have heard him by now if he was," Haku replied with a ghost of a smile that quickly dropped away. Sakura smiled too, glancing at the spotless kitchenette and back. "I haven't seen him for a few days." Sakura frowned at that.

"He left even though you're hurt?" she asked. Haku shook his head.

"No, I'm pretty much fine now. It's been a month, afterall." Sakura raised her eyebrows, her mouth dropping open slightly in surprise as she counted backwards.

"A month...It seemed so slow, and suddenly..." she trailed off, eyes distant, before coming back to herself and looking down, biting her lip.

"Yeah," sighed Haku, looking down at the floor rather than look at Sakura.

"It's cleaner," Sakura remarked after a gap in the conversation. Haku shrugged.

"I don't have so much to do these days," he said simply. While Naruto was operating on double his usual speed, planning and worrying and rushing around as though chased, Haku seemed to have lost all his energy, feeling constantly drained.

"Oh, I see," Sakura said, noting all the differences. She had visited the flat a few times, first as soon as Haku had been released from the hospital, and it had been a lot messier, the kind of place she expected Naruto to live. He had always been untidy as a teenager; she couldn't count the amount of times she had whacked him for letting his locker get untidy or wearing the same shirt to school three days in a row. Now the apartment was spotless. "I brought you some groceries," she said, putting down the black bag and passing Haku the paper one. He took it and glanced at the contents: bread, milk, cheese, eggs. Staple foods. He wasn't at all sure what to do with them.

"Thank you," he managed, moving to put them on the counter, his bare feet padding across the floor. Haku remembered that it was polite to offer people refreshments when they came to visit you. "Can I make you some tea?"

"Just water, thank you," Sakura said, glancing at him but seeing him busy getting her a glass. She bit her lip, taking a few steps into the lounge and perching in an armchair. The flat, as small as it was, felt hollow. It felt like someone had died.

Naruto had told her everything she needed to know, and that left out an awful lot, but she learnt that Haku had very recently lost someone he had loved, and understood that what she was seeing. The spotless, empty apartment, the dull, lustreless eyes, were textbook signs of depression, only to be expected after such a loss. She had never known Haku when she had known Naruto, except through the stories Naruto used to tell her about his life which were far and few between, and as such couldn't compare his behaviour with anything else. Still, a glance at his face was enough to see that something was terribly wrong.

"How have you been?" Sakura asked as Haku passed her a tumbler full of water. She sipped it, ignoring the metallic taste, thankful for the minor distraction it provided. Haku didn't seem to think her question was deserving of an answer, he seemed to have left the conversation entirely, if the halted strings of words could be called that, and was staring at the wall behind her, having sat on the sofa. "Haku?" Hearing his name, he glanced at her, eyes narrowing for a second, before returning to their semi-glazed state.

"Yes?"

"Are you eating alright?" Sakura tried. Haku paused at the question. When was the last time he ate? Naruto had made him an omelette when he was last there, but since then? He wasn't sure, the memories tumbled into one. He used to make Zabuza omelettes and take them back to bed. Sometimes he would make the eggs sunny side up, and arrange them with a sausage so that it made a face.

"I'm not sure," Haku said distantly. "I drank tea this morning."

"Tea," Sakura acknowledged with a nod. "That's good. You need to eat, you're looking thin." Sakura could hear a little sound coming from the bedroom, like a television had been left on. Haku looked down at himself, plucking at the loose teeshirt he was wearing.

"I'm fine," he said flatly. "The clothes are just too big." The idea of going back to his and Zabuza's apartment to pick up clothes was implausible, so he was wearing Naruto's instead, and as a result they were baggy on his slight frame.

Sakura nodded, taking in the bright orange of the top. The colour screamed 'Naruto' from a mile off, and she chided herself for not noticing. Normally she considered herself observant, but for the past month, since the break with Sasuke, she was so easily distracted. Still, ill fitting clothes aside, Haku looked thinner. The smooth curves of his face were looking sharper, and the skin beneath his vacant, wavering eyes, was dark with exhaustion.

"Have you been taking the sleeping pills I gave you?" she asked, again sipping at her water, feeling her confidence restored momentarily as they strayed onto firmer medical ground. She might not be quite a doctor, but she was talented and studious, and well equipped to deal with this, she told herself, whispering the mantra in her mind.

Haku seemed to notice the question after a time, and brought his gaze to meet hers, blinking slowly as he processed it, before shaking his head slightly. "No, I don't want to sleep."

"It's important that you rest," Sakura said, her forehead creasing in her concern. "Your body is still healing, you mustn't put any unnecessary stress on yourself." Torn between apathy and manners, Haku sighed, unwilling to continue the conversation. He didn't want to sleep, because when he slept, he forgot, and when he awoke, he had to remember all over again. The pills Sakura had prescribed stopped him from reliving the events in his dreams at least, but the moment where the comfortable haze of ignorance was torn away as he awoke, coming back to reality, was too painful for him to want to experience.

"How are you, Sakura?" he asked politely, diverting the topic and making an effort to concentrate, to seem interested. Except for his conversations with Naruto, and the infrequent visits from Sakura, he let his mind wander unrestrained. It was a dangerous habit, he had discovered, because once free it was near impossible to tame it, and his concentration wavered from any given topic after half a minute or so. It was through this that he would find himself turning on the radio, and halfway through fiddling with the knobs, forget what station he was looking for. Or lay aside clothes to wear and when he got out of the shower, take out another set. It was like walking through a haze. Nothing was quite real. Like being asleep, Haku thought, except there was no escape from the pain.

At least to begin with there had been the pain of his wound to distract him, to link him somehow to Zabuza. He had stubbornly avoided taking the pain medication, unless Naruto forced him, enjoying the blankness of his thoughts when he was overpowered by sensation. Now it had almost healed, his own body betraying him and leaving nothing to think about except the empty expanse of his life.

Slightly surprised by the question, Sakura licked her lips before speaking. "I'm..." she paused. How was she? The past month had been difficult. She hated sleeping alone, she hated not seeing Sasuke, and she hated the look anyone who knew she had been dating him now gave her. That of pity. 'What kind of woman turns her fiancé gay?' they must be thinking, and in truth, sometimes she wondered it too. Then her assertive side would break through and she would tell herself that it wasn't her fault, that it wasn't something she had caused, but sometimes her own reassurances weren't enough. To her disgust, her heart still slammed in her chest whenever she so much as heard Sasuke's name, she still felt her head turn whenever someone walked past wearing his cologne, she still occasionally found herself turning over one of the little white cards printed with "Mrs Sakura Uchiha." She was still in love.

But looking at Haku, there was no way she could equate her recent heartbreak to the devastation in his eyes. "I'm okay," she finished lamely, giving a wan smile and putting her glass down. "Can I begin?" Haku nodded and she rose, picking up the black bag and opening it on the table to reveal medical paraphernalia. Selecting a stethoscope she put it on with practiced hands and holding the bell in one hand. Haku stood too, used to the procedure by now.

Sakura listened first to his breathing, instructing him to breath in, then out and carefully listening for anything unusual. Next she moved the instrument higher, placing the bell on Haku's chest to listen to his heartbeat. If he found the metal cold, he made no movement. Pursing her lips lightly she moved to his back, hitching his teeshirt up again and holding the excess folds in her free hand while she listened. She worked silently, focussing on the task rather than making small talk. Besides, she knew from experience that Haku was unresponsive unless he deemed the question necessary, or if Naruto was there. He seemed to make an extra effort whenever Naruto was around.

Putting the stethoscope away, she checked his blood pressure, looping the cuff around Haku's upper arm.

"Have you been experiencing any of the symptoms of mentioned?" she asked while pumping the bulb. "Any chest pains?"

'Yes,' thought Haku. 'Half the time I feel like my heart has been ripped out of my ribcage and I'm hollow inside. The rest of the time I feel completely numb and wish my heart had been ripped out of my ribcage because then I would be dead.'

"No, none," he murmured out loud, watching Sakura check the reading. She didn't say anything, but finished and put the instrument away.

"Everything is as to be expected," she said after a moment, looking divided, as though unsure whether to sit back down or to leave, deciding on the former as she closed the bag and stood up.

"Thanks for coming by," Haku said woodenly. "You don't have to."

"I'm a doctor, I'm supposed to help people," Sakura replied with a small smile. Haku let out a little puff of breath that could have been a snort.

"Yes, but you don't get paid," he pointed out. Like they could afford to pay her right now. Naruto's money was going on rent and food, while all of Haku's savings had gone towards paying for the initial operation.

"I know we weren't ever good friends," Sakura said, unsure whether there was any point in explaining this, "but Naruto cares about you a lot, and I care about him, so..." she trailed off with a smile and a shrug. Her words seemed to rouse Haku somewhat, and he gave her a nod, his eyes temporarily sharper, more focussed.

"I'll tell him you came over," he said, as they walked to the door and Haku opened it. Sakura paused before leaving, shifting her grip on the bag.

"Do you know...what he's doing?" she asked tentatively, not wanting to sound nosey. Haku gave her a blank look.

"Getting the money for my operation, I suppose," he said. He knew he should be grateful, but he exhausted his ability to act whenever Naruto was around by restraining himself from just telling him to forget it and let him die.

"So he's...working?" Sakura prompted. This time there was a tinge of incredulity in Haku's stare. "Oh," said Sakura, in realisation. She had suspected, and that was the reason she hadn't asked before, but to have it so clear... "Do you know...how?"

In reply Haku just shrugged. "He's Naruto." Sakura opened her mouth to ask again, before closing it, digesting the words and the meaning behind them. Both 'he'd do anything' and 'I trust him.'

"I see," she said evenly, wondering if Haku had told her because he trusted her, or because he was too out of it to care. She took a deep breath, the air of the flat suddenly stifling. "I'll see you then."

"Yeah. See you," Haku replied, back to automatic replies. He shut the door, and Sakura found herself in the drab corridor.

As she walked out, her heels clicking on the floor as she tried to ignore the smell, her mind was abuzz. What could Naruto be doing to get the money? She bit her lip as she walked, knowing he was desperate, that was clear from the look in his eyes when Haku had been diagnosed. While she wasn't at her best, she knew, Haku looked half dead, like an animated corpse. Even when he was looking at her, it felt like he was looking straight through her. The operation would be booked soon, she realised, since he was nearly healed. Would Naruto be able to get the money in time?

Back in the apartment, Haku lay back on Naruto's bed, inhaling the smell of fresh linen and listening to the static of the radio, and tried to reconcile himself with the idea of living.

*

"Well, it's not ramen, but I think if I had both these fries _and_ ramen I might just explode with happiness and that'd be gross," Naruto said, stretching back in his chair. Sasuke blinked and took a sip of his coke. They were sitting in a fast food place, the sort that Sasuke hadn't stepped in since he was about sixteen. As soon as they entered Naruto had insisted he order, while Sasuke found them a table, so Sasuke found himself pushing three prepubscent boys out of the way in order to claim the booth they were going to. No way was he sitting at the counter where people walking past could see him.

Naruto had appeared after a few minutes with a heavily laden tray, passed Sasuke a small fries and coke, and proceeded to eat everything else himself.

"I thought you were poor," Sasuke said icily, looking at the assortment of wrappers, packets and napkins in front of Naruto, as the blond blew bubbles into his drink before looking up sharply.

"I _am_ poor," he said. "But not buying this isn't going to give me enough money, is it?"

"You could have got me more than a small fries," Sasuke said, gesturing to the fries, which Naruto saw as a cue to reach over and grab a handful.

"Hey, you said it yourself, I'm poor," Naruto said through a mouthful of chips, before swallowing. "Besides, you're a millionaire or something, you should pay."

"This isn't a date, idiot," Sasuke said, batting his hand away as Naruto reached for the chips again.

"Che, you _wish_, Uchiha," Naruto scoffed.

"I really don't," Sasuke remarked dryly, giving up and just moving the fries over to Naruto's side of the table.

"Oh sure," Naruto said, taking advantage of the new position of the chips. "Like you have standards. I've seen the papers. And only a few hours after you broke Sakura's heart." 'Sakura' not 'your fiancee,' Sasuke noted.

"Are we here to discuss my love life," he cringed at the word, " or to talk business?"

"We can't do both?" Naruto asked, shaking out the last of the chips and snaffling them as though he hadn't just vacuumed enough to feed a small bear cub.

"Naruto," Sasuke said, addressing him by his first name. "We're not friends, we're not _hanging out_. I'm here for one reason and one reason only. Because you have something I want." Naruto looked hurt, before his expression blankened, and he watched Sasuke intensely. "What?" he snapped?

"We'll you're never going to make friends with _that_ attitude," he remarked carelessly, leaning back from the table, against the hard red plastic of the bench. "I think your social skills have actually gotten worse since we were kids!"

"Why are you acting like this?" Sasuke asked in a low voice, frustrated. "You're blackmailing me for pity's sake." Naruto scowled, dropping the grin he had been wearing until then.

"I told you, it's not like I want to do this," he replied, voice as low as Sasuke's. "It's not my fault life is shitty. Not all of us get everything thrown into their laps." He looked away momentarily, eyes flicking over a group of kids huddled near the entrance and then back. "Fine, business then. Yes or no?"

"I've given it some thought," said Sasuke slowly, sitting back in his chair.

"What's there to think about?" Naruto asked with a snicker. "Either you give me the money, or you're screwed." Sasuke regarded him dryly.

"If I'm 'screwed' then you are too, since you wont have the money. I take it this is your last port of call before you just give up?"

"No," said Naruto gruffly. "I'm not giving up. No matter what." Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"So what then, if I say no?"

"I don't _know_, damnit," Naruto replied hotly, clenching his fists. "Anyway, you're not going to say no."

"The way I see it, you need something that I have, and I need something that you can get," Sasuke said smoothly, falling into the work persona that he used when speaking with employees or clients. Naruto frowned.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second, this is a simple two way switch, money for the photograph," Naruto said, sounding alarmed.

"That's a lot of money for one photograph," Sasuke reasoned.

"Yeah, well the photograph's worth a lot of money," Naruto replied. Sasuke sighed, leaning back in his seat.

"I'm unconvinced."

"_Get_ convinced," Naruto growled. Judging his companion to be at boiling point, Sasuke leaned forward.

"How about this," he suggested, resting his forearms on the table, "I give you _half_ the money for the photograph, and the rest if you carry out a...service, for me."

"I could just give the photograph to the press," Naruto tried. Sasuke shrugged, carelessly.

"You could."

"And you'd be screwed."

"You too," Sasuke pointed out, taking a casual sip of his drink. Naruto watched him for a few seconds, before deflating in defeat. Sasuke hid a smile.

"Alright, I'll bite. What's this 'service'?" Naruto asked, then, stuck by a thought, his eyes widened.  
"HEY, it's nothing...you know...is it? 'Cause I wont do that!" Sasuke blinked at the way the conversation had abruptly derailed.

"'Nothing' what?" he asked, nonplussed.

"You know..." Naruto said, looking pointedly away.

"I really don't," Sasuke said bluntly, unwilling to banter so ridiculously. Naruto looked around furtively, biting his lip, before leaning forward and cupping his mouth.

"Nothing _sexual_," he said quickly, hissing the word and then hurriedly sitting back in his seat, face bright red. Sasuke stared at him for about a minute, in which Naruto grew redder, squirmed and hid his face (ineffectively) behind his drink.

"Were you dropped on your head as a child?" Sasuke asked finally. Naruto looked affronted.

"What? No! Why?"

"It would explain your delusions." Naruto scowled at him, eyes narrowed.

"Fine fine, if it's not _that_, then what _is_ it?"

"I need information," Sasuke said, leaning back in, glad that the hubbub of noise around them blocked out their conversation. "I'd get it myself, but I don't have the time or the resources."

"And what makes you think I do?" Naruto asked, pouting a little.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sasuke asked. "You're the only one I can trust." Naruto's eyes widened

"You...trust...me?" he said, turning the statement into a question in his disbelief. Sasuke snorted and looked away.

"Don't think it means anything," he said shortly. "The only reason I do is that as I said, if something happens to me, you go down too." Naruto didn't seem particularly disheartened by that, but sobered a little a though the disbelief stayed in his eyes.

"Alright, alright," Naruto said, as though Sasuke had been talking for hours. "What _exactly_ do you want me to do?" Sasuke smiled, an expression he rarely wore.

"I want you to investigate the Akatsuki."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative. SAI TIME.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

The hot sun on his neck was no bother to Sai as he sat on a wall outside his apartment building, deftly adding a few strokes to a picture he was working on. He was making a sketch of the skyline, drawing in solid squares and rectangles against the wispy, intangible clouds, as a way to pass time. That he was out in the midday sun didn't alarm in him the least. He didn't burn, didn't even tan. His pale skin was utterly indifferent to the weather, always staying the same pallid hue.

After a few minutes of quiet sketching, through the background noise of far off traffic, the wind, children talking excitedly and people complaining that it was too hot, Sai heard a loud growling, announcing Naruto and his motorbike's entrance. Looking up, he watched Naruto enter the car park on the other side and then swerve up to where Sai waited before stopping and pulling off his helmet.

"Good morning, hot stuff," Sai greeted, flipping his sketchbook closed and putting it into a black messenger bag he was wearing and standing up from the wall. Naruto scowled at him, one hand running through his hair, trying to unflatten it.

"How many times Sai?" Naruto asked, even while passing him the spare helmet. "'Hot stuff,' as true as it is," he preened a little, "is not what you should be calling me." Sai took the helmet and after a moment's consideration put it on, giving Naruto an innocent expression.

"But I heard a girl say it to a boy just the other day, it's perfectly normal," Sai pointed out. Naruto squinted at him, making himself look cross-eyed as he tried to work out what was going on in Sai's brain.

" Yeah, but that _girl_ thought the _guy_ was hot, that's why she said it," Naruto explained. Sai widened his eyes by the minutest amount in confusion.

"But how would she know?" he asked, "she wasn't even touching him. All humans function at about thirty seven degrees celcius unless they're unwell."

Naruto continued squinting. After a few moments of Sai returning his stare with a polite gaze, he sighed and shook his head. "Let's just go."

"Okay, hot stuff," Sai acquiesced, slipping onto the back of the motorbike with practiced ease and securing a grip around Naruto's waist as the blond restarted the engine. As they left the carpark and moved onto the road, Sai considered informing Naruto who seemed sadly, extremely uneducated in human biology, about just why the human body couldn't afford to raise its temperature more than a degree or so. Unfortunately, he realised that his words would be lost to the wind, and it was awkward talking inside the helmet anyway.

The journey was hardly smooth, but Sai was used to it by now. Naruto had never been in an accident on his bike, but that wasn't to say he wasn't the cause of them. Sai, who had read the highway code, noted at least fifteen moments where Naruto was driving dangerously. By his calculations, had a police car been nearby, they would have been pulled over on half a dozen points.

When Naruto turned off the engine, he elbowed Sai slightly, signalling that he should dismount, before Naruto did, securing the bike and then pulling off the helmet, letting the air get to his skin. Next to him, Sai did the same, and Naruto took the helmet and looped a lock around them both, before attaching them to the bike.

"So are you going to ask what happened?" Naruto asked, as they began to walk along the pavement.

"Should I?" Sai queried. Naruto scrunched his face up at the weird answer.

"Yes," he instructed.

"Oh, okay," Sai agreed with a nod, continuing to walk. When he said nothing, Naruto glared at him.

"Well?"

"I should ask now?" Sai clarified, looking earnest. Naruto gave him a dry look.

"No, just ask me around Christmas time."

"Alright," Sai agreed amiably. When he still didn't speak, Naruto grit his teeth.

"Sai...I was being sarcastic."

"'Sarcasm; a cutting, often ironic remark,'" Sai quoted. "I read about that in the dictionary-"

"So anyway, I met up with Sasuke," Naruto interrupted loudly. Sai abruptly stopped speaking, and looked at Naruto with interest.

"Everything went as planned?" he enquired mildly. "I saw you two leave together, there didn't seem to be any murderous intent."

"It was fine," Naruto said with a shrug. "'S weird though, sort of like we're kids, but then at the same time, I'm practically robbing him..." he trailed off with a scowl, huffing and looking around. "Turn here."

"Hmmm, you are the one that insisted on not telling him why you needed the money," Sai pointed out. "I believe he would have been more open to the suggestion had you informed him of Haku's condition." Naruto shook his head.

" Nah, you know I couldn't do that. Yeah, he _probably_ would, but if not? Then I've just involved Haku in this whole thing." He shook his head again. "No, it's better if Haku stays out of it."

"Your decision," Sai said mildly. "Where are we going?" They were walking towards a high rise apartment building, not unlike the one Sasuke lived in, that they had been staking out.

"The prick," Naruto started, then feeling generous, corrected: "Sasuke, wants to make a deal. Half the money for the photograph, half for investigating the Akatsuki."

"The Akatsuki?" Sai's forehead creased. "Why? Doesn't his uncle work for them?"

Naruto shrugged. "He didn't really explain, seems to think there's some crazy conspiracy theory. Whatever, I figure we'll just do some snooping. A company like that has to have _some_ dirt."

"From what I've heard it has a dark reputation," Sai contributed. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, so, sounds simple enough. But we're gonna need help. We're good, but we're not good enough to break into the Akatsuki."

"I thought you said that you didn't have any contacts?"

Naruto grinned. "True, I said I didn't have any contacts. Doesn't mean I don't have any friends."

*

The front of the building had a door through which was a glass cubicle where the intercom was located. Naruto read something off his hand before counting for the right buzzer and then holding it for half a minute, which Sai imagined would be very irritating for whoever resided in that apartment. When he released it there was a brief pause, then a click.

"It's meeeeeeeeee!" Naruto sang into the speaker. There was another click, and then the door buzzed open and the two of them walked in. He had written all the details of the apartment on his hand, which had blurred a little, but he could just about make them out. He and Sai took the elevator up to the top floor, and then walked down the deserted corridor, lit with almost painfully bright lighting.

"Is this the right door?" Sai asked, when Naruto stumbled to a halt. Naruto glanced from the door to his hand, and then back to the door, and then back to his hand.

"Not sure," he admitted. "It's either sixty eight, or eighty nine. Oh well." He shrugged and knocked loudly on the door, only to find it swung open at the slight pressure, revealing a gloomy hallway that Naruto stepped into, hearing Sai step in behind him.

"Is it okay to just go in?"

"Yeah, this is the place," Naruto replied, after taking a second glance at the décor. With the door closed, blocking out the light of the hallway, it initially seemed pitch black in the apartment. After a few seconds, Naruto's eyes adjusted, and he could see through the gloom, taking a few steps forward. At the end of the short entrance hall was a half open door, from which there was a glow emanating. "Can you see alright?"

There was a pause. "Yes, just about."

"Good." Naruto moved forward decisively, trying not to trip over anything that might be lying about; not an easy task when he couldn't make out anything except for possible darkness indicating object and possible darkness indicating lack of object. He managed to get to the door only tripping on two things, but noted that behind him, Sai had managed to avoid it altogether.

The room they entered was brighter, causing them to blink at first. It was large and rectangular, the walls to Naruto's right and left had doors, suggesting bedrooms. The wall opposite looked as though it had originally been covered in large windows, but they had been completely painted over so that only a few chinks of light managed to pass through where the black paint had chipped. With the window blacked out, the only source of light came from the glowing screens of three enormous computer monitors. There were twisted bundles of wires from the back of each monitor, linked to a large computer tower which was humming and whirring, evidently processing something. In front of the monitors, which were set up on the floor, was a pile of cushions. Aside from that, there was no other furniture in the room.

On one of the large cushions, sitting cross legged with a keyboard in his lap, typing furiously, was a man with dark red hair, his skin pale, clearly that of someone more accustomed to artificial light than that experienced out of doors. As Naruto and Sai entered, he made no movement, still focussed on the central screen.

"Hey," Naruto greeted, taking in his surroundings. The man at the computer didn't turn his face away from the screen when he spoke.

"A moment." His voice was quiet but sure. He continued typing, not looking at the keys, pale, tapered fingers were almost a blur in their speed and he didn't once touch the backspace key. Finally, apparently finished, he hit one final key and put the keyboard down, standing gracefully and turning to them.

"Naruto," he greeted, nodding at him and then letting his eyes flicker over to Sai who smiled back.

"Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed, taking a few bounding steps forward and engulfing the man in an excited hug. The red head -Gaara- seemed faintly surprised, then the lines of his mouth softened slightly, giving the suggestion of a smile.

"Still as energetic as ever," Gaara commented. "Seat?" He gestured to the cushions littering the floor.

"Sure!" Naruto enthused, grabbing a large red one and plopping down on it. Sai selected a smaller black one and neatly sat down. "So Gaara, awesome place! Totally your kinda thing. How've you been?"

"...Fine," Gaara replied. "Yourself?"

"Awesome!" Naruto replied automatically, before reconsidering. "Well, okay," he amended.

"'Okay'" Gaara echoed. "Is the reason for the 'okay' why you are here?"

Naruto sighed. "Yeah. I'm sorry to just call you out of the blue, but I need a favour."

"I do owe you one," Gaara said calmly, before turning his gaze to Sai. "Can we speak freely around him?" Naruto glanced at Sai, nodding vigorously.

"Yeah, totally. He's a friend. A bit weird, but I trust him," Naruto said firmly. Sai's lips pulled into a happy smile.

"Thanks, hot stuff," he replied, making Naruto growl with anger. Gaara gave him an inquiring look.

"_Just_ friends, Uzumaki? Are you sure?"

"I take it back," Naruto bit out. "Now he is an acquaintance that I will one day kill." His expression changed as a thought hit him and he looked happily at Gaara. "Hey hey, that's what you used to say to me! 'One day I will kill you.'"

"I still think it," Gaara replied monotonously. Naruto blinked for a second before breaking into a large grin.

"Haha, that's good! Sarcasm!" he praised. Sai perked up.

"I know about sarcasm," he began.

"Not now, Sai," Naruto interrupted.

Naruto had met Gaara in one of the many schools he had attended, the same one that he had been at with Sakura, in fact. While Naruto was predictably bouncy and hyperactive, irritating everyone in an amusing sort of way, Gaara had been quiet to the extreme, never speaking unless forced to and rarely going outside. They had been in different classes but had met when Naruto had skipped his lessons to get an assignment typed up at the last minute and found Gaara hunched over a monitor in the corner of the computer room.

He had spoken at him for the hour it took him to type up two paragraphs of his assignment, until Gaara, frustrated at the constant and unerring conversation, had grabbed the paper and typed the whole thing in less than ten minutes.

What had stopped it being nothing more than a chance encounter was when a week later, Gaara's father hired Zabuza for a job, and brought his son along with him to watch the exchange. From that, Naruto had felt a bond form with Gaara, they were linked because they were a part of the same world.

It had been revealed nearly a year later that Gaara had been abused as a child by his father. Mainly psychological but occasionally physical too. He had been stretched to breaking point, half convinced he should take his own life, and half convinced he should take that of everyone around him. However, Naruto had talked Gaara down from taking action himself, and instead supported him until he succeeded in getting his father locked away. The experience had made them firm friends, even if they rarely spoke in school, and so when Naruto started thinking about carrying out Sasuke's plan, he decided to call in the favour.

"I take it you're here for business?" Gaara asked. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah," Naruto confessed, shifting awkwardly and fisting the material of the cushion. Gaara's eyes narrowed.

"You seem tense," he stated blankly. "What exactly have you got yourself entangled with?"

"Heh," Naruto laughed nervously, a hand coming up to scratch the back of his head. "To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure myself."

*

"The Akatsuki?"

"Yup, them," Naruto confirmed with a grimace. Naruto, Sai and Gaara were sitting on the floor of the apartment in a little circle, making Naruto feel like a child in his first year of school where they sat on the carpet all the time.

"Have you got a plan?" Gaara asked bluntly. Naruto had explained the entire situation, with occasional interjections or additions from Sai, so Gaara had been brought up to speed.

"Not exactly," Naruto started, before being stopped by an intense look from Gaara. "Okay, I have nothing. Yet."

Gaara nodded. "What do we know?"

"Not much," Naruto admitted. "The company is run by Madara Uchiha, it was set up about thirty years ago. Their office building is located in the inner city, not far from Uchiha Corp."

"Hm, I know a little about the Akatsuki, since I investigated them superficially myself." At the inquisitive gazes in his direction, Gaara elaborated. "In my last year of university, last year in fact, I was head hunted by them, and while contemplating their offer which I obviously eventually declined, I found out what I could about the company. Still I don't know much about the inner workings-," Gaara cut himself off, standing fluidly, hand going to his pocket. "If you'll give me a moment." He was already walking out of the room, pressing a few keys on his phone. The door, presumably leading to a bedroom, clicked shut, and Naruto and Sai were left in the dimly lit room. It felt a little like a movie theatre.

"Gaara likes computers," Naruto said after a minute of silence in which Sai looked around the room eight times, keeping the look of pleasant interest on his face throughout.

"I see," said Sai.

After another minute, Gaara returned, slipping his phone into his pocket and sitting back down with them, folding his legs beneath him.

"I was speaking to my cousin Sasori, he used to work for the Akatsuki," Gaara said by way of explanation.

"Can you trust him?" Naruto asked. Gaara gave him a tight nod.

"Yes, he quit a year ago and cut all ties with the company. He's no friend to Madara," Gaara said coolly. "But he had a lot of helpful information." Noting Naruto's interested expression, he went on. "He said that while Madara generally covers his tracks, you might be interested in the personnel files."

"Personnel?" Naruto made a face. "Why would I care about that?"

Gaara lifted a shoulder. "I don't know, but it makes sense that wherever the personnel files are, anything else of interest would also be."

"Alright," Naruto agreed slowly. "So what? You're the computer guy, how do we get to it?" Gaara frowned, both at the name and the question.

"Unfortunately it's not as simply as pressing a few buttons," he revealed. Naruto blew up his cheeks, irritated.

"But that's totally how it works on tv," he interjected. Gaara stared at him for a full thirty seconds.

"That girl with the pink hair that was always hitting you," he said finally.

"Sakura?" Naruto asked, confused at the sudden topic switch.

"Yes, her. I suddenly feel a profound understanding of her tendency to violence around you," Gaara said monotonously.

"Hey!" Naruto almost shouted, looking affronted before his expression slid into thoughtful. "But didn't you date her?" Gaara's face, if possible, became more blank.

"That was a favour for my sister," he said evenly. Naruto snickered. "As I was saying, unfortunately the system is almost completely inaccessible from an outside station."

"So you can't do anything?" Naruto asked in disbelief. The suggestion of a frown appeared on Gaara's forehead.

"I can do many things," he corrected. "I could certainly hack in as they do on tv, using brute force. That would however take a lot longer than it does on tv and be both detectable and traceable."

"So that's a no go," Naruto clarified. "Nothing traceable. That's the most important part of this. Heck, I don't even want them to know that we've done anything.."

"It's going to be tricky," Gaara stated, steepling his fingers. "The only way to get any of the files is to get access to the internal network."

"Meaning we have to break in," Naruto concluded grimly.

"Yes," Gaara confirmed. "Once you're in, you get onto any terminal and give me remote access, I'll copy any files that seem appropriate, and then you leave. The hardest part is making sure there is not evidence that you were there."

"So we're breaking in," Naruto stated rather than asked. "That makes the whole thing so much more complicated."

"Perhaps you should see it as a personal challenge, hot stuff?" Sai suggested. "I read that only by challenging ourselves can man achieve his true potential."

Gaara blinked.

"He's always like this," sighed Naruto.

"I see," Gaara replied blankly while Sai continued to smile amicably.

"Okay, back to the topic," Naruto guided. "First off, what's the security like?"

"After eight PM it's locked and alarmed, with two guards in an eight hour shift," Gaara said. "In addition, since your aim would be to get onto a computer, even if you managed to break in undetected somehow, you couldn't use the computers."

"What, why?"

Gaara shrugged. "Like most systems, they need a passphrase and username. We can't log in."

"You can't even hack _that_?" Naruto asked, appalled.

"Less television for you, I think," Gaara said after a moment. Naruto glared.

"So we might as well give up if you can't even _log in_," he exclaimed, exasperated.

"I would never have thought you would suggest we give up," Gaara remarked. Naruto eyed him evilly.

"You said it was hopeless," he pointed out.

"I said no such thing, I said that we can't log in," Gaara corrected. "That's very different from hopeless. It just means we need to get to a computer that is _already_ logged in."

Naruto's expression brightened. "Oh! Got it!"

"That makes sense," Sai said, adding to the conversation for the first time. "The Akatsuki have to lower their security during the day, otherwise they wouldn't be able to conduct any business."

"Exactly," Gaara said, a tiny smile of about one centimetre appearing on his face. "If you go in the day, you can just walk straight in through the doors, and if everything goes well, walk out again."

"Easier than trying to get past the night security at least," Naruto said. "So where are we going once we're in?"

Gaara shuffled closer to the computer and pulled the keyboard into his lap, adjusting one of the monitors so that Naruto and Sai could view it clearly. He clicked on something and a diagram appeared on the screen.

"This is a side on view of the Akatsuki building," he explained. "There are thirteen floors."

"That's a lot to choose from," Naruto pointed out, leaning his weight forward to get a better view.

"The first is the lobby, with the reception and lots of potted palms. The next ten are straight forward offices, finance, sales and marketing, human resources etcetera. Those will be too busy for you to be noticed but it's unlikely you'll find anything noteworthy with that level of clearance," Gaara informed them monotonously. "The top floor is completely for Madara, and unless both a key code and retina scan are approved, the elevator door wont open."

"Stairwell?" Naruto enquired.

"Same," Gaara replied, "I considered that myself."

"So that's a no go," Naruto clarified.

"As well as pointless, even if Madara isn't in his office, someone as paranoid as him will always log out of his computer. No, the top floor isn't the destination, the twelfth floor is."

"What's there?" asked Sai, sitting stil on his cushion while Naruto fidgeted.

"That's the executive floor, more security than the previous ten, but any computer logged in there will yield far more." Without waiting for a comment, Gaara opened his emails and downloaded a file, presumably from Sasori, before opening it on the screen. "There are currently six Akatsuki executives, their profiles are shown here." On the monitor were seven photographs with a small amount of text next to them. "The first is Zetsu, who is almost always out of the office, since he acts as the Akatsuki ambassador with other companies. The ones that you would encounter on the twelfth floor are Nagato, Konan, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Deidara." He pointed to the pictures as he spoke. Naruto nodded, his expression serious as he digested the onslaught of information.

"That's still a lot of people to avoid," Naruto said, brows pinching together as he looked at the screen. "We'd need to go in when there's the the smallest amount."

"Lunchtime?" Sai suggested. "They have to eat."

"True, but see here," Gaara tapped a few more buttons and a new diagram filled the screen. "The building is circular, with the offices situated around the diameter, and a small communal area in the centre. You would need to get into one of the offices, and the chances of finding an empty one with a logged in computer are greatest at that time. However, it also exponentially increases your chances of being caught as you move to or from the offices, since they will be moving around more during their break. Madara also likes to check up on them around this time, or so Sasori says."

"Okay..." Naruto said slowly, his eyes fixed on a point in space as he thought the information through. "What are the points of entry to the twelfth floor?"

"Elevator primarily, but you would need an access code to get the doors to open and it changes everyweek."

"Stairs?"

"Never used, but same thing, only different codes."

"That would be a fire hazard," Sai mentioned.

"I'm pretty sure they don't care," Naruto muttered. "But that's a point. So let's recap what we've got." In the past, while he never took part in their execution, he sometimes helped Zabuza plan similar things and they used to bounce ideas around in the same way. He was torn between nostalgia and loss as he realised he would never do it again. Zabuza was gone and Haku was a shell of himself. Naruto forced himself to focus. "What are our resources."

"My computer talents and Sasori's information," Gaara counted.

"Is there any chance Sasuke could help?" Sai wondered out loud. Naruto grinned widely.

"Good one, Sai. I'm sure there's some use he can be. Then there's me," he added. The corner of Gaara's mouth twitched.

"I don't think your ramen inhaling skills are going to be needed this time round," Gaara commented. Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"You know me too well," he grudgingly admitted.

"And myself, of course," Sai added, raising his hand like a student would. Naruto frowned a little, then twisted his mouth.

"Sai..." he started, rubbing at his nose awkwardly. "I know you've been super helpful with this whole thing, but we're passing the grey moral area. This is gonna be completely illegal. If you don't wanna take part, that's totally okay," he reassured Sai who looked mildly surprised.

"I thought we were friends," Sai said, with a sudden frown, the most negative emotion Naruto had ever seen on his face.

"We are!" Naruto all but shouted, making Gaara wince at the sudden change in volume.

"I read that friends should support each other in challenging endeavours," Sai remarked. Naruto scratched at the back of his head.

"Well yeah, I mean, they generally should, but you could get in a lot of trouble," Naruto explained.

"Gaara is helping," Sai pointed out, his skin looking even paler in the illumination from the monitors.

"Yeah, but Gaara's gonna stay here so no one'll have a clue he did anything. If we get caught, even I wont be able to talk my way out of it."

"All the more reason for me to help you not get caught," Sai said. Naruto looked stubborn for a second, before admitting defeat and letting a smile slide across his face.

"Alright then," he said, expression fiercely determined. "Gaara's computer skills, Sasori's information, a possible favour from Sasuke, my dashing good looks and charm and Sai's ability to misunderstand just about any social situation. Let's do it."


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

Thank you all for the kind reviews, they made me smile ^^. But don't worry, I have no intention of stopping this story.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

10.15 am

It seemed that Itachi had finally decided to use all the sick days he had saved up in his career so far at once, or so Sasuke surmised. He hadn't seen his brother for over a week, everytime he called his home phone he got the same recorded message saying that Itachi was sick and would be back at work as soon as possible. Sasuke would have been concerned were he not receiving daily emails in which Itachi reminded him incessantly of what work had to be done and promising that he would see him as soon as possible. He also kept suggesting that Sasuke ask Madara for help if he couldn't manage, to which Sasuke didn't think there were enough adjectives to describe his anger.

Still, his brother was co-president, and it took a lot of extra work to cover for him. Sasuke had moved Kakashi over to cover all of Itachi's duties, but he still had a lot on his plate. He had taken to refusing to see anyone unless they had scheduled an appointment and telling Karin not to let anyone schedule an appointment. In this way, he managed to avoid Kabuto, Orochimaru and Madara. The situation being what it was, he thought it was prudent to keep in contact with Kakashi, particularly since he had had only been avoiding him so as to also avoid the lecture on how "Sasuke needed to get a grip."

Currently, he had a grip. With the turn around of the Naruto situation, he felt once again in control of his life. True, being blackmailed was never high on anyone's agenda, but the way things were going, he might actually benefit from it. Losing some money was inevitable, but it wasn't so much in the grand scale of things, and if it would bring him a step closer to unravelling the mystery surrounding Itachi and Madara, it would be well worth it.

His phone rang. For a second he stared at the telephone on his desk, wondering why the light wasn't blinking, and then he realised it was his personal phone. Fishing it out, he flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Sasuke?"

"Do you doubt your ability to dial eleven digits with a level of accuracy that much?"

"Hey, I was just checking!"

Sasuke leaned back in his chair, swivelling slightly away from the desk and smirking a little. "I'm sure. What is it?"

"Just checkin' that you haven't forgotten what you're supposed to be doing today," Naruto said.

"Che, my memory is fine thank you, don't worry, I'll do your little favour."

"_My_ favour!" Naruto exclaimed. "This whole thing is because of _you_."

"I think you'll find 'this whole thing' is because you need money," Sasuke corrected.

"Whatever," Naruto dismissed. "Just don't forget. Eleven thirty 'til two."

"I understood the first five times," Sasuke remarked. "Is that all?"

"I suppose so," Naruto said, but didn't hang up, so Sasuke stayed on the line for a few seconds until he spoke again, his words laced with laughter. "So, Sasuke. What are you wearing?"

Sasuke hung up.

11.45 am

The artificial air conditioners that dropped heavy, cold air into the lobby of the Akatsuki building was a welcome change from the sweltering July heat outside. The lobby itself was remarkably busy for such a small company, paying testament to the fact that the group had dropped anchors in many different harbours. The floor was glossy black marble with such a buff that Sai could see his own pale reflection in it, the walls were dominated by glass windows and doors and there were potted palms a plenty based in red terracotta pots.

The entrance had no guards, but the doors were flanked by metal detectors. This was irrelevant to Sai, since he wasn't carrying anything metal.

In the centre of the circular room was a reception area, a large round desk, behind which four secretaries were greeting and helping people, while two others worked phones. Sai ignored them, walking purposefully towards the opposite side to the entrance, where a black elevator stood, next to a door marked as a stairwell. There were four people waiting to go up, a small number since most people would be going down for lunch, and Sai joined them, standing patiently and watching the illuminated numbers above the doors change to chart the progress of the lift.

The lift arrived with a pinging noise, followed by the smooth opening mechanism, and Sai stood to the side as a group of people exited, chatting amongst themselves, all looking a little wound up from the daily grind. Once it was empty, he along with the four others stepped in. Sai situated himself next to the control panel.

"Which floors?" he asked politely. They were all going to floor five. Sai pressed the circular button, and then the one above it for himself, before settling back. The lift was mirrored, and he glanced at the occupants without interest. They were all clearly office workers, dressed in ties and work clothes. Sai on the other hand was wearing black trousers with a red polo shirt and a matching cap. He looked very much like a courier, as was intended, aided by the rectangular package and clipboard he was carrying. In his free hand was a bottle of water. On the control panel, as well as the numbers one to thirteen, there was a lobby, a lower ground presumably for the carpark, and a covered panel below. According to Gaara's cousin, if the panel was opened it revealed a keypad into which a correct sequence had to be entered for the doors to open onto the twelfth floor. The password, like all passwords at the Akatsuki, was changed every week, on the command of Madara. There was a similar pad on the door from the stairwell, he was told, as well as a keyhole. Given all of that the security was virtually impregnable, so long as there was zero percent of human error.

"But," Gaara had pointed out, "there's never zero percent of human error. While the computerised systems themselves may be infallible, the employees are certainly not." That was the crux of the plan, and for Naruto- and Haku's – sake, Sai hoped it was true.

The doors to the elevator opened on the fifth floor and the office workers piled out. Two more got in, and asked for the ground floor which Sai pressed, depressing the sixth floor button so that they went straight down, stopping on the second and third floor to pick up more passengers. Once they reached the bottom floor, everyone except Sai left. Sai took the opportunity to drop the empty box he was carrying into the bin outside and quickly pressed the door close button before anyone else could get in. The lift again began to ascend to the sixth floor. Sai waited until the lift was between the fifth and sixth floors and pressed the emergency stop button. Immediately the elevator stopped moving, jolting slightly before stilling. Pleased, Sai unscrewed the bottle of water and poured the liquid through the grille at the top of the panel where a computerised voice had started to speak from. The water, though less effective than a pair of pliers, was more a delay tactic than anything. Furthermore, while water could quite easily be brought into the building without warranting a thorough search, pliers could not. And the water, while certain to cause problems in the circuit, would quickly evaporate due to the heat, and be untraceable as sabotage.

Sai mopped up the excess fluid on the grill with a tissue, and then crumpled it in his pocket. That done, he settled down on the floor, pleased that the elevator had a carpet. He was in for a long wait.

Hopefully.

12.00 am

"Mr Madara is here," Karin's voice came through the intercom at the same two as Sasuke heard a knock at the door. Typical Madara, not even wait to be shown through, just barge straight in. Still, sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. Without waiting to be called in, the door opened and Madara stepped into Sasuke's office.

"Sasuke, good to see you," he started with, striding across and pulling out the chair opposite Sasuke's desk.

"Hello Uncle," Sasuke greeted, standing to shake hand across the desk. They shook, briefly and then sat down. Sasuke discreetly rubbed his palm against his trousers just in case pure evil was contagious.

"I was surprised when you called me," Madara said. "Surprised but pleased. I was under the impression you were avoiding me." Sasuke tried for a bashful expression.

"Yes, sorry about that," he said with an attempt at sincerity. "Things around here have been manic with Itachi's sickness."

"Ah, Itachi," Madara said, something flickering across his expression before it was clear again. "What was it that you wanted to see me about?"

Sasuke swallowed down his pride. "I've been working on a new project," he began, "but without Itachi's opinion, I'm rather adrift. I was wondering if you could give me any advice." He was proud not to choke on the last word, nor to punch his uncle as an indulgent and pleased smile grew across his face.

" Of course, that's only natural," Madara said soothingly. Sasuke's nails bit into his palm as he forced a neutral expression. _Naruto, this had better be worth it._

12.05 pm

Naruto sauntered through the doors of the Akatsuki building, looking at the crowd that had appeared around the elevator doors with a smile. So far so good. He briskly made his way to the stairwell, along with a few of the brighter employees, feeling the collar of his shirt chafe against his neck. He hated wearing suits. He always had hated wearing suits. It had irritated him so much that despite knowing that, Zabuza had continued to insist they wore them for business. Well, Zabuza was dead, and he was still stuck in a suit. Maybe there was an irony in that. Or maybe not. Naruto had never been sure on what 'irony' really meant.

Naruto was one of the few people going _up_ the stairs, most were starting their lunch break and on the way down. He trudged up to the eleventh floor, passing most people, and then, finding the stairwell empty, sat for a while, keeping his eyes on the stairwell and the door from the eleventh floor.

When the door to the eleventh floor swung open, he stood up, leaning casually against the wall as though he was waiting for someone. The group exiting didn't give him a second look which was reassuring, and he settled back to wait, checking his watch.

"The executives all have a lunch schedule, they go in two lots; one at quarter past twelve, and one at quarter past one. The first group is Deidara, Hidan and Kakuzu. The second is Nagato, and Konan," Gaara had explained.

It was coming up to quarter past twelve, Naruto carried on leaning against the plaster of the wall. There were two flights of stairs between each floor, so Naruto couldn't see the door to the twelfth floor, but he knew it would require a keycode and an actual key to open the door, allowing access to the twelfth floor.

"How often does the code change," Naruto had asked while they were bouncing ideas off each other.

"Every week," Gaara replied. "It's different to that needed to get in from the elevator as well, as is the key."

"So, all of the Akatsuki executives have to memorise the code for the elevator, the code for the stairwell, as well as the password to log onto their computers, and then they have to carry around two keys?" Naruto had more stated than asked. "There's no way all of them can do that."

And that indeed was the idea. Regardless of the steps Madara was taking to quell his paranoia, all of the executives were unlikely to cater to his whim. There had to be at least one weak link in the chain. Sasori had never known the elevator not to work and informed them that as such, the executives didn't generally carry the key to the stairwell and never memorised the code since it changed weekly and they never had need for it.

Naruto was startled from his musings as a door slammed upstairs. The door to the twelfth floor, if he wasn't mistaken. The door was open now, since the elevator wasn't working, the stairwell was the only exit. The plan rested on whatever happened next.

"If Madara is gonna be so batshit about security, he could at least make sure the elevator is always working!" came an agitated voice from upstairs.

"Calm down Deidara, the precautions are necessary," a lower voice. Naruto shifted a little in an unconscious attempt to get nearer.

"Fuck that," the first voice replied. "It takes _ages_ to keep putting in the code. Sixteen digits is _beyond_ paranoia." Deidara paused. "Oi, Hidan, bring that over here!"

"I'm not your fucking slave, Dei," a third voice sneered, but there was the sound of muffled scraping, like a large object was being pulled across the room. Naruto swallowed, his throat dry, hoping beyond hope that their predictions had been right.

"Yeah yeah, we've all heard it, alright?" Some more shuffling.

"There, the door'll stay open." Deidara's voice was triumphant.

"That's against company policy," the second voice pointed out.

" Do either of you _have_ your keys?" Deidara asked. There was a short silence. Down one floor, Naruto licked his lips nervously. It could still all go wrong.

"Mine are in my office." The second voice again. 'Fuck fuck fuck,' thought Naruto. Then: listening to these Akatsuki swear is really having a bad influence on me.'

" And you've already put your fifty locks on to make sure no one steals anything, so let's just _go_, unless you wanna ask one of the others, and you _know _they'll bitch about it," Deidara stated. Ah, Naruto knew about the locks, courtesy of Sasori. That made the second voice Kakuzu. He held his breath.

"...Alright." Naruto nearly melted with relief. "But Nagato wont like the door left open like this."

"Fuck Nagato." A pause. "Alright, how about I put this potted palm in front of the doorway. They'll never see it yeah? Perfect. I'll move it back before they leave."

"You are truly a genius."

"Screw you. Are you coming or what, Hidan?"

"Yes, I'm ready."

"Oh for fuck's sake, don't tell me you've got the scythe," Deidara pleaded.

" You'll just set off the alarms again," Kakuzu warned. "Leave it behind."

"But what if-"

" I'm fucking _starving_, can we _go_?" Deidara whined. Naruto agreed. The schedule wasn't impossibly tight, but he didn't want to push it.

"Alright you heathens, I'm leaving it behind," Hidan growled out.

"Thank fucking god," Deidara said.

"Why do we have to do this every day?" Kakuzu muttered.

"Why the hell is there a potted palm here?" Hidan wanted to know. There was the sound of movement and Naruto quickly resumed his stance against the wall. Three men appeared, all of them matching the profiles that Naruto had seen on Gaara's computer. Deidara, Kakuzu and Hidan. So far Sasori's information was proving invaluable.

"I want sushi," Deidara was saying. "Let's get sushi, yeah?"

"We _always_ get fucking sushi. First you wont let me take my scythe like the dipshit you are, then you want sushi, _again_."

"What's wrong with sushi?" Deidara defended staunchly as they walked down. They swept straight past Naruto and carried on down the stairs. Once they were out of sight, Naruto took a few steadying breaths. Part one, successful. Now onto part two.

12.20 pm

After sending a mechanic in who took off the panel, reset the emergency stop, and tutted at the fuse that seemed to have blown for no reason, the elevator was declared fit for use again. As they descended, Sai thanked the mechanic again and again. He wanted to say he had claustrophobia and that he had been afraid he would die trapped in the tiny box, but Naruto had warned him that when lying, the less said the better.

The doors pinged open, and there was a murmur of noise ranging from happy surprise that the lift was finally working to grumbling irritation that it had been broken in the first place. Sai ignored all the glares that were levelled in his direction, as some employees clearly held the unfortunate courier to blame for the incident. True, he _was_ to blame, but they weren't to know that, especially since he had insisted that he had stopped the elevator because he smelt smoke.

"But if you had smelt smoke, wouldn't you have wanted to get out of the lift as soon as possible?" the engineer wanted to know.

"But you're not supposed to use the elevator in the case of a fire," Sai pointed out serenely, as he left. The mechanic was mystified.

Outside, Sai checked the time. Naruto would be a while still. He hoped that everything went according to plan. Now all he could do was wait.

12.25 pm

As soon as Naruto had been sure the coast was clear, he had sprung up to the twelfth floor. Various ideas for disaster and sabotage flooded his mind. One of the remaining executives could have noticed the open door and closed it. The chair could have somehow moved away. A bird could have jumped in through an open window and used a clever lever system to push the door closed. He was relieved when he saw the open doorway with a potted palm framed in it.

Naruto approached cautiously, getting poked slightly by the potted palm as he peered in. The plant really was a stroke of luck, since he was somewhat shielded in the case that someone chanced a look towards the stairwell. Still, somewhat shielded wasn't anywhere near as good as invisible. He took a deep breath, peeking through the long thin leaves into the office.

Like the diagram Gaara had showed him, the office was circular with a communal area in the centre. Around the edges were black doors, each with a name plate on them. In the middle of the room was a lounge like area with two black sofas, a table between them, and a coffee machine. The room was deserted, but Naruto knew that two of the offices were filled. There were ten in total, leaving eight vacant. According to Gaara, four of the offices were out of use, the name plates on their doors blank. One belonged to Zetsu who never used it. Nagato and Konan were most likely all in their offices, but since Kakuzu, Hidan and Deidara had just left theirs were vacant.

Naruto took a step into the room, half expecting to break some sort of laser circuit and have alarms start ringing out and armed officers drop from the ceiling. Nothing happened. He allowed himself a celebratory breath.

'Okay, doing well,' he thought to himself. 'You're in at least.'

He took another step and paused as he noticed something shine in the corner of his vision. Taking a few curious steps towards the coffee table, he swallowed as he realised that Hidan had not been speaking metaphorically, as he had assumed, and there was a real life, blade-gleaming scythe sat nonchalantly on the coffee table. Maybe this was why no one went up against the Akatsuki.

'They'd never find my bones!' Naruto thought irrationally. Then he heard a noise that sounded suspiciously like a door being opened. His senses on high alert, Naruto did the first thing that came to mind and dived behind one of the sofas. He lay frozen for a second, and when there were no shouts or death threats, let himself relax by an iota. He crawled ever so slightly forward and peeked his head around to see that one of the office doors had indeed opened, and someone had left it.

_Nagato_ , his brain supplied helpfully. The man glanced at the elevator, drawing Naruto's attention to it, and he noted what Nagato must also be seeing. The numbers at the top that said which floor the lift was currently on had started moving. Evidently the elevator had been fixed. Most likely, Sai was already out of the building. Now it was just him. Naruto squared his jaw at the thought, glancing back at Nagato who had moved to an office door.

"Elevator's fixed," he shouted through the wood. Then, to Naruto's horror, Nagato's eyes fixed on the coffee machine.

'Fuck fuck fuck fuck,' his thought process started up again. As he walked over, he wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but if he stepped past to the coffee maker, and then turned around, he would see a twenty one year old blond lying on the floor with no explanation that would hold. There probably wasn't an explanation that would hold.

'Carpet inspector!' the irrational part of his brain once again spoke up. Apparently it was stimulated by pure unadulterated fear.

Nagato took a few purposeful steps towards the coffee maker. Naruto looked desperately for a way out. He could run, while Nagato's back was turned, but would he have enough time? If he was just a second too slow...

'Don't come over here, don't come over here, don't come over here,' Naruto repeated in his mind.

And then, suddenly, miraculously, Nagato stopped. Naruto for a second truly believed he might have psychic abilities, before he followed Nagato's gaze to the door. It was still open, and that was clearly what had caught the man's attention.

"Idiots," Naruto heard Nagato mutter as he turned towards it. As he did so, Naruto realised that he was being given a chance. It would take a few seconds for Nagato to close the door and move the pot plant. If he stayed where he was, he would undoubtedly be discovered. However there were no other hiding places in the room. The only place to go was into one of the rooms. Ten rooms, four empty and almost certainly locked. Two occupied. One about to be occupied. One locked, two probably open.

Naruto could not, for the life of him, remember the floor plan. Gaara had showed it to him repeatedly, pointing out which offices he could enter, which he couldn't, and which he should stay away from under all circumstances. At the time, Naruto had figured there was no point in memorising it, that was what the name plates were for afterall. He hadn't factored in the lack of time to leisurely peruse the name plates. Still, stuck between a rock and a hard place, he chose the hard place.

He stood silently and ran as fast and quietly as he could to the nearest office door, refusing to throw a look over his shoulder. If Nagato had seen him, the subsequent shouting and violence would alert him to that. 'I hope he doesn't use the scythe', Naruto thought. The nameplate on the door was Kakuzu's, he should have realised from the two keyholes it had in the door. No good, it would be locked. Without checking on Nagato who was no doubt struggling with the palm tree, Naruto moved one door right. He hardly read the name plate: "Deidara" before fumbling for the door handle.

'If it isn't open-' he started to think before the door clicked quietly and he all but fell through, restraining the urge to slam it behind him. Instead he shut it as gently and as quickly as possible. The next ten seconds were spent in terror that Nagato had seen him and was about to break down the door (probably with the scythe) but eventually, as the seconds ticked by, his heart rate slowed somewhat and he reconciled himself with the fact that he might have a few more minutes to live.

He inhaled shakily and took stock. He was inside an office, as a second thought, he flipped the lock on the door, since the last thing he wanted was someone (perhaps a someone with a scythe) to burst in unannounced. The stairwell door had been closed, but that was fine because both it and the elevator opened freely from the inside. It was now half past twelve, he had at least half an hour before Deidara and company returned, and the rest of the group went for their lunch.

Deidara's office was a combination of a tiny art studio and a regular office, it reminded Naruto a little of Sai's apartment. It had a large desk in one corner, with a computer sitting on it. The screensaver was an animation of the words "art's a blast" being alternately exploded and reassembled. Interesting. Or insane. The walls were covered in pictures; some were famous pieces of art, and some were amateur. On the desk, the space against the wall, instead of desk toys or photoframes, there were a selection of plasticine models. Some cartoonish with balloon eyes and exaggerated features; some serious, and some obscene. Tearing his eyes away, Naruto focused on the computer.

First things first, he sat down and fished a pair of latex gloves from his pocket, putting them on. Even if there was no reason to suspect anything was amiss, he had no intention of leaving clues that he had been here. Moving the mouse, he let out a sigh of relief when a typical desktop loaded up. Gaara had been right; the constant changing of the passwords meant that many of the executives were reluctant to sign out at all and tried to minimise how many times they had to put in the ridiculously long string of numbers and letters. At least, that held true for Deidara.

It seemed Madara's attempts at security was what gave the company a weak spot. It was easy to see that no one could consistently keep up all the checks that were insisted upon. And especially with Madara out of the office for a few hours...

Gaara picked up before the phone had rung twice.

"Are you in?" he asked bluntly.

"Yeah, you were right, everything's going good so far," Naruto said, keeping his voice low. "You didn't tell me about the scythe!"

Gaara ignored this. "Open terminal."

"Say what?"

There was a sigh on the other line. "Go to 'run' and then 'terminal.'"

"Oh, okay, gotcha," Naruto said, holding his mobile between his ear and his shoulder as he did as instructed. "Now what?"

"Double click the network icon and tell me your IP," Gaara instructed.

"Alright..." Naruto read it out, hearing the familiar tapping of key's on Gaara's end.

"Select 'allow remote access' and then you need to type something into the terminal window."

"Got it," Naruto confirmed. Gaara gave him the instructions and Naruto typed it out. "It's not working!"

"Capital 'M'" Gaara corrected monotonously.

"Oh, heh. Alright."

"What are the last two digits of the last line?" Gaara asked. Naruto squinted scrolling down. The latex was uncomfortable against his skin.

"Nine, four," he replied.

"Excellent." Naruto heard the slightest trace of smugness in his tone as the cursor on the screen suddenly started moving without Naruto moving the mouse.

"Gaara, is that you?"

"Yes," Gaara replied absently, from the noise of the keyboard he was obviously focused on the task at hand. "Put the memory stick in." Naruto complied and sat back a little as various windows appeared on the screen. He checked the time. 12.45. "Done."

"What? Already?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes already."

"That was fast!"

Naruto could hear the slight smile in Gaara's voice. "Faster than on TV?"

"Yeah yeah, don't get smug. If you're done, I'm getting out of here."

"Don't forget the memory stick," Gaara reminded him, before a slight click told him the call was disconnected.

"Pssh, like I'd do that." Naruto mocked, pulling it out.

Memory stick in his pocket, Naruto stood. He unlocked the door and put his ear to it, trying to listen. He heard nothing, and so slid the door open a crack. Putting his eye to the gap, he looked around the office- it was empty. And no reason that it shouldn't be, there were still fifteen minutes before anyone should be thinking of moving. After one last check, he slipped out. Then, remembering that he had previously touched the door handle, he used the end of his tie to wipe it clean.

He was just passing the coffee machine when he heard a pinging noise that filled him with dread. As soon as he heard the smooth mechanical noise of the elevator doors opening, he once again threw himself behind the sofa.

Out of the elevator, almost half an hour early stepped Hidan, looking furious.

"Fucking philistines," he muttered. "Fuckwads, all of them, one of these days I'm gonna..." his voice rose and fell as he spoke so that Naruto could only catch a few words here and there. Hidan walked straight to the sofas, and for a second Naruto was sure that he had been caught, but then Hidan bent down and picked up the scythe.

'Brilliant,' Naruto thought. 'The _scythe-wielder_, just what I need.' To his horror (at this point his stomach had dripped out of his belly button and was soaking into the carpet) Hidan decided to execute a few moves.

"I'll get them," he was muttering, swinging the scythe so that the shiny, ready to slice flesh off of bone, blade was inches from Naruto's hiding place. "The pussies. And that tool Deidara. One of these days." Naruto prayed to the god of ramen that he didn't lose possession of any of his fingers or any of his toes. "Bitches." With that little outburst, Hidan seemed to calm, and the arm holding the scythe fell innocently to his side. To Naruto's immense relief, Hidan moved away, further and further until he disappeared into his office.

Naruto wanted to fall asleep on the carpet. His sense of self preservation however kicked in, and he pulled himself off the floor before someone else came in and he had to fall back on the explanation of 'carpet inspector.' The stairwell was empty for the first two floors, which was good. Naruto had a feeling that despite his nerves of steel, hardened by years of working under Zabuza, the experience of nearly being sliced into Naruto-flavoured sausages by a deranged _scythe-wielder_ made him unwilling for any more drama.

When Naruto walked through the doors of the building, into the outside world, he wanted to drop to the floor with relief, but he thought that would look a little suspicious, and instead tried to maintain an even pace.

"Hey, hot stuff."

Naruto turned at the call and then berated himself for responding to such a name, but it was too late. "Sai," he greeted. "You got out the elevator I see."

"Yes," Sai confirmed cheerily. "And you are not being dragged away by the police. I would call this a success."

"Call ahead, or away. Or... do what you like. I'm tired," Naruto said as they walked a few streets down to where Naruto's bike was parked.

"A success then," Sai reiterated. "What now?"

"Now?" Naruto mused on the subject as they walked, cars passing them on the street. He hadn't considered fully what to do_ after_. He'd been fixated on _the plan_ rather than what happened _after_ the plan. Still, he could think on his feet. "First, I wanna go home and sleep. Then, I wanna eat ramen. Then I'm gonna call Sasuke and bitch at him until he understands the terror I went through. I hope his uncle was unbearable."

"You could call him now?" Sai suggested helpfully as they unlocked the bike, passing Naruto his helmet.

"Nah," Naruto shook his head. "I told him to keep Madara busy until two." Sai furrowed his brow slightly as Naruto straddled the bike.

"But you said we would be finished by one thirty at the latest," he reminded Naruto, putting on his own helmet.

"I know," Naruto said guiltlessly. "But I nearly experienced death by scythe. Sasuke can put up with a bit of pain."


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

Thank you all for the kind reviews, they made me smile ^^. But don't worry, I have no intention of stopping this story.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

Sakura hesitated before ringing the bell, biting her lip in her indecision and staring at the door as though it might hold answers. She still had her key and was fully able to walk straight in, but it was evening and no doubt Sasuke was inside. That is, if he wasn't out pulling a random guy off the street, she amended with a bitter smile.

Decided, she pressed the bell, letting it ring out for a second and then standing back. Nervously, even though she knew she had nothing to be nervous about, she smoothed down her skirt and blouse. Work clothes; she had just left the hospital. So many times she had stood on the other side of the door, welcoming Sasuke home. Now it was the other way around. Except this wasn't her home anymore and she didn't think Sasuke knew how to welcome someone properly.

There was silence, and for a minute Sakura wondered if he wasn't out afterall, and she would have to make use of the key sitting in her handbag, but then there was the muffled sound of movement, the groan of a sofa, soft footsteps, the click of the latch.

The door swung open to reveal Sasuke- his expression flicking from irritation to gentle surprise before it shuttered into blankness.

"Sakura," he greeted her, glancing at her appearance.

"Sasuke," she replied in kind.

"You- I didn't expect you," Sasuke said, Sakura could hear that his voice was tired but she doubted it would have been apparent to anyone else. "Would you like to come in?"

"Please," Sakura said with a small smile, stepping in when Sasuke moved back, opening the door wider. The apartment looked almost the same as it had when she was living there. Perhaps a touch less tidy. There was soft music coming from the speakers in the lounge, and papers along with a tumbler of whiskey were spread on the coffee table. "Are you busy?"

Sasuke shook his head as he answered. "No, it's fine. Just work."

"I read in the papers you signed with Otokagure Industries," Sakura mentioned with a slight reprimand in her voice, not just making conversation. She had never liked Oto and preferred Konoha like Kakashi.

"Yeah. Yes," Sasuke said, then opened his mouth and closed it. Neither of them mentioned what else she must have read in the papers.

"You look tired," Sakura said, her eyes observing the little details she was so in tune with.

"It was a hard day," Sasuke replied. "Do you want a drink?"

"No I'm okay, I just came to pick up some of my things," Sakura said with a brisk shake of her head. "I've got mostly everything but..." Over the past month she had transferred almost all of her belongings away, but had delayed in the last few things, which she had stowed in a cardboard box in their- his wardrobe. Now, she had decided, it was time to stop delaying and just take it, close this chapter of her life and move on.

"Okay," Sasuke said. "Do you need any help?"

"No, there's not much," Sakura said, smiling a little sadly before heading to the bedroom. It was awkward, but not awful. Maybe one day, not now but in the future, she and Sasuke could just be friends. Her stomach tensed at the thought, the thought of seeing him and knowing she wasn't good enough. Of seeing him with someone else, another girlfriend, another fiancée. Having him talk about how much he loved them...

Sakura tried to gather her sense of self as she opened the wardrobe, flicking her eyes along Sasuke's suits. She used to love Sasuke in a suit, even though he wore them every day. She would feel a surge of pride, seeing him leave for work wearing one and would carefully wash and iron them ready for him. Sighing, she bent, flipping open the flaps of the box to check everything she had put in there was still there, and then lifted it. She had broken up with Sasuke for a good reason.

Back in the lounge, Sasuke had made tea.

"Thank you," Sakura said, even though she hadn't asked for any. She slipped into a seat at the table, resting the box on the floor by her feet and sipped tentatively, smiling as she tasted the too strong tea that Sasuke always made. It almost felt like she had never left, and if it was anyone else she would have thought he was trying to win her back, but she could read every single emotion that flickered across Sasuke's face, and right now the predominant one was guilt.

"How have you been?" Sasuke started awkwardly. Though he was obviously putting effort into seeming interested, his eyes kept jumping to the paperwork he had on the table, and the conversation was stilted. The halting conversation reaffirmed her belief that she and Sasuke weren't a good match. What sort of a couple couldn't manage a simple conversation?

"I've been fine, busy at the hospital," she said, sipping a little more tea. "It's hectic, it's always hectic, but I enjoy it. Even if recently..." She trailed off with a grimace, brow slightly furrowed as she immersed herself in thoughts.

"Recently what?" Sasuke inquired. He seemed to have already have finished his tea.

Sakura sighed, folding her long fingers around the teacup. "I've just been noticing the flaws in our health system more and more frequently," she admitted pensively, not quite looking at Sasuke. "You don't really think of it until it stares you in the face. One patient recently, he needs an expensive op, but unless he can prove his ability to pay he'll get the third class, cheapest version. Having to tell his friend was..." Sakura's frown deepend as she remembered the look on Naruto's face. "To make the whole thing worse, I knew him. Know him. He isn't just one more face in a sea of patients that you can try and justify away."

"I'm sorry you have to go through that," Sasuke said slowly. He was probably forcing the words, Sakura supposed, but she appreciated the gesture.

"It's fine," she waved it off. "I work in a hospital because I love it, and every job in the world has some downside. It was just so hard to tell Naruto."

"Naruto?" Sakura glanced up from the tea, hearing something unexpected in Sasuke's voice.

"Yes, that's the friend I mentioned. He's an old classmate." She paused, a thought catching her attention. "Actually he said he knew you. He said you were friends a long time ago."

"Oh, I see," Sasuke said, dark eyebrows pulling together. "Now that you mention it, I do remember a Naruto." Sakura smiled, delighted with the smallness of the world. "What were you saying? Something happened to him?"

"To his friend, yes," Sakura corrected, pleased to find someone she could talk to about this; they both knew Naruto afterall. "Did you know Haku?"

"Yeah, we've met," Sasuke said, his expression going blank again though his eyes stayed focused. "What happened?"

"Well I shouldn't really say," Sakura explained apologetically, "I've already said more than I should...The short of it is Haku needs an operation and neither of them can afford it." She left out the part where Naruto was pursuing dubious methods to get the money.

"A difficult situation," Sasuke remarked, eyes shuttered somehow.

"Mm, yes," Sakura agreed. "It's so much harder when it's a friend."

"I can imagine," Sasuke said after a few moments, apparently deep in though. The conversation lapsed, Sakura listened to the music Sasuke had been playing instead. One of his favourites; she wondered just how stressed he had been. She looked at him over the rim of her teacup, traced her eyes over the line of his jaw, his dark hair, his eyes that could be expressive but were so often hard and empty. She was still in love with him, she decided, but something had changed. Maybe this was it was acceptance. They worked better as friends, Sakura thought.

"I should go," she said finally, the teacup now cold in her hands, "thanks for the tea."

"It's fine," Sasuke replied, standing as she did. Sakura lifted the box, it wasn't light, and he walked her to the door. "Sakura," he started as she was stepping out. She turned and he frowned as though thinking of the words. "I am sorry, about the- about everything," he said finally, meeting her eyes for once. How many times when they were living together had he met her eyes? How many times had he said 'sorry'? Did he still feel guilty? Perhaps guilt was all they would ever have between them. Sakura thought of Haku and Naruto.

"Don't worry about it," she said finally. The cheery tone was forced, but not by much. "I think it's better this way." Sasuke blinked at her, opened his mouth slightly as though to say something and then shut it again. He looked like he had expected something else.

"Good," he said finally. "I'm glad."

"This is the last of my things," Sakura said, shifting the box to rest against her hip, "so I wont be back to pick anything else up."

Sasuke glanced down at the box and then back at Sakura. "Keep in touch."

"I'll try," Sakura promised with a nod. She gave him a little smile, waved her free hand and then left.

As she walked down the corridor to the elevator, she felt lighter. Was it only a month ago that she had left Sasuke, had walked down the same corridor feeling like her chest was pierced with a million shards of glass?

You did the right thing, she told herself as she waiting for the lift. She was starting to believe it was true.

*

Haku was dreaming. It was one of those dreams where he knew on some level, that what was going on wasn't real, but as soon as he tried to think about why that was, the idea fizzed away into nothing, and the dream took some new surreal turn to distract him.

In the dream he was walking down the corridor in the back of the club. There had been lots of clubs and bars over the years, but he was in the last one. He was walking down the corridor that had the private rooms on either side, as though he was going towards the front of the bar, but he couldn't see the door up ahead and he didn't feel like that was where he was going. His footsteps made no sound as they fell; there was no sound at all. It was like a film with the television on mute, he could tell what should be making a noise, but it didn't.

The lights were dim, the edges of his vision were curled in shadow, but he didn't mind because there was nothing there and no one else in the corridor. Each of the doors were the same, black, and he had walked so far he was sure he should be out of the corridor by now, but he couldn't even see the end.

Abruptly, he stopped walking, feeling as though he had reached his destination, like he'd been heading there all along, and simultaneously like he had no idea why he had stopped.

The door he had stopped at was red. Haku couldn't remember if the doors of the corridor had originally been red, or even what the doors a few steps down were. They seemed to have fallen away as his vision narrowed to the door and nothing else.

It was one of the dream moments where the dream self was about to do something that the small, rational, lucid part of the mind knew was inadvisable, but that part of the mind had no control. It was like opening the door expecting to be attacked, or pulling back the shower curtain knowing there would be a body lying in the bath.

Haku pushed the door open.

The room was familiar in shape, but there was no furniture. It was a lot brighter than the corridor had been, but his eyes didn't need to adjust. There was something not quite solid about it, as though all the solid lines that should be there were softened, almost blurring.

From the doorway, Haku looked in, knowing there was nothing behind him, no corridor. In the centre of the room, he recognised himself and opposite him, Zabuza. The Haku in the doorway was curiously numb as he watched the events unfold.

Haku in the room, he realised, had a gun. As he watched, the other him raised it so that it pointed straight at Zabuza and pulled the trigger. The gunshot broke through the silence, ripping through so much that the room shook, but Haku didn't look away. Zabuza dropped to the floor, bleeding from a wound in his head. Shakily, the Haku in the room raised the gun to his own head.

"This isn't how it happened."

Haku glanced to the side of him, there was no doorway now, but Naruto was standing there, watching the scene unfold. He was wearing a suit. Naruto hated suits, Haku thought.

"This isn't how it happened," Naruto repeated as the other Haku pulled the trigger and slumped to the floor. "Is this how you remember it?"

"Sometimes," Haku admitted, eyes fixed on the gentle spread of blood across the floor. "I should have been faster."

"You should have died instead, you mean," Naruto clarified. It looked like Naruto and sounded like Naruto, but flatter, lacking the energy his friend had.

"Yes," Haku whispered, closing his eyes in admittance.

"And what would I do?" Naruto wanted to know. Haku wondered when his emotions had switched back on. He felt guilt, heavy and cloud-like, seeping in.

"You don't need me," he said with a sigh. "You have Sai and Sakura. You haven't needed me for a long time." His eyes flicked back to the room where both he and Zabuza were now lying side by side, as though sleeping. "And I need him."

"That's kinda sad, don't you think?" Naruto commented lightly.

Haku was half way through a thought of replying when he felt something change, and then the dream dissolved into darkness.

*

The door opened smoothly when Naruto walked in, which was a change from the usual half opening before getting jammed against something he had left behind it when he left. He hadn't been back to his flat for a few days, he counted in his head, three, four, or was it a week? Recently both he and Sai had been staying with Gaara while they ironed out the finer kinks of the plan, and before that he had been spending the nights at Sai's while they pooled all the information they had on Sasuke.

Part of the reason he had been away from his own flat was because Haku was there. It was true, Naruto had been busy, and a lot of nights it had been easier to fall asleep wherever he was rather than take the journey home. At the same time, knowing that Haku was staying in his flat made him reluctant to return.

Naruto loved Haku, always had, ever since that first sunny day in the sandpit. They were partners, best friends, brothers. There was no way he could lose him and knowing that, he had come up with a plan to pay for his operation. A dangerous plan, that put him in a vulnerable position, and made him do things that he knew he shouldn't do, and didn't want to anyway. But he would do whatever it took to make sure Haku stayed healthy. If he could somehow switch places so that _he_ was the one with the heart problem, he would have done it in an instant. He would happily die keep Haku alive.  
Unfortunately, as time went on, it became apparent that Haku didn't _want_ to be alive.

After the incident, Naruto had expect Haku to be depressed. When Haku claimed that he wanted to die, Naruto had been upset, but not shocked. It was normal, he reasoned. Haku's life revolved around Zabuza and Naruto, and now it was only Naruto. But it had been a month, and Haku had only gotten worse. As much as he told himself that he was doing the right thing, everytime he saw Haku fake a smile, or feign interest in a conversation, Naruto felt like he was being swallowed by guilt.

So avoidance was the path he had decided upon. It was horrible, because he was so used to seeing Haku all the time, just going a few days without him was like being torn in two. At the same time he felt like Haku knew what he was doing, and probably felt guilty about it too. There were enough problems in their situation without the both of them feeling guilty about something they really didn't have much power over. To assuage his guilt, he had asked Sakura to check up on Haku, since they weren't in a position to be paying for doctor's appointments right now. Sakura had been so friendly, so helpful and Naruto felt awful for using the information she had given him to get to Sasuke. It was like turning around and throwing everything in her face. But then she would understand. If she was in his place, she would do anything, she would know the desperation that drove him.

Still, once this was all over, he would have to do something nice for Sakura. He liked her so much, and had missed her like crazy in the years that they had been apart. The few times he had seen her since bumping into her at the hospital, he had purposely annoyed her just to get hit on the head. Maybe he was becoming a masochist, he considered.

His life was so weird all of a sudden. Sakura was back, Zabuza was gone, Haku was a ghost of himself, Sai wasn't just a casual friend and Sasuke... Naruto pushed thoughts of Sasuke out of his mind for now. Things were confusing enough as it was. Sometimes he hated himself for what he was doing to Sasuke, sometimes he felt like he was back in high school with Sakura, and most of the time he felt like his life had turned into a waking dream.

The flat was painfully clean. The cushions on the sofa were straight, the coffee table was clear. There were no dishes on the draining board, no spoons in the sink. Naruto sort of wanted to throw a load of things around, just to make it seem more habitable. It was quiet, but Naruto could hear a muffled song warbling through the walls, so he surmised that Haku had left the radio on. He seemed to be doing that a lot these days.

The living area was empty, and Naruto felt a fluttering of hope that perhaps Haku had actually left the confines of the building, but then he opened the door to the bedroom and the music from the radio became louder and Naruto saw him. He was fast asleep, nestled in Naruto's bed with the duvet pulled around him, making him look like an orange caterpillar. He looked smaller, and pale, and younger than Naruto remembered. When they were growing up, the one year advantage that Haku had held over Naruto had seemed extreme. He had always been the smarter one, the reliable, adult one. Naruto had been the confused, excitable child that was forever getting himself in trouble. Now Haku looked like the younger one, the one that needed taking care of. Naruto sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, watching his friend. Haku looked tired even though he was sleeping. The corners of his mouth were slightly pulled down and Naruto wondered if he was dreaming.

It was five pm, the day after Naruto had snuck into the Akatsuki building, and too late in the day for Haku to be sleeping. A quick glance confirmed that he was fully dressed, as though he had gotten ready for the day and then fallen back asleep. Naruto licked his lips nervously, wondering whether or not to wake him up, rubbing his fingers along the edge of the duvet absently. He knew Haku hadn't been sleeping well; Sakura had mentioned that she had prescribed him sleeping pills. Naruto sighed, reaching a hand up to push back a lock of Haku's hair, then catching himself and dropping the hand. He stood up and went back into the living area, rummaged around for some paper.

He found his notebook, the one he had been using for college stuff and grimaced. Everytime Haku saw Naruto he mentioned university. 'I hope you didn't miss too many days because of me' or 'how are your assignments going?' It was likely that he knew very well that Naruto hadn't gone to a single class since the day of the incident, and wanted him to admit it. Ignoring the feelings, Naruto tore out a page of the notebook and started to write.

_"Dear Haku,"_ he wrote, and then scribbled it out. _"Hey Haku,"_ he wrote instead.  
_I stopped by but you were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you. Hope you're holding up okay. _  
He paused, nibbling nervously on the end of his pen before carrying on.  
_Sorry I haven't been around much lately, been busy. Everything's cool though, so you don't need to worry._  
He crossed out the last line.  
_Everything's cool though, so don't worry._  
Again Naruto paused. There was so much to say, but it didn't fit into the note.  
_Anyway, I'll see you soon, hopefully. Remember to eat!  
Naruto_  
He added a smiley face for good measure and then stuck it on the fridge with a motorbike shaped magnet.

His eyes skipped around the flat, alighting on random objects before he moved away, towards the front door, closing it softly behind him so as not to wake Haku. Once it was closed, Naruto leaned forward, resting his forehead against the cool wood and closing his eyes. After several long breaths, he opened them and turned around.

On the opposite wall, leaning back with his arms crossed and his eyes angry, was Sasuke.

"We need to talk."


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

Thank you all for the kind reviews, they made me smile ^^. But don't worry, I have no intention of stopping this story.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

When Naruto left the flat Sasuke hadn't been waiting long. Tracking Naruto down hadn't been so difficult. He had called up Sakura and simply asked for his address, under the pretense of catching up with an old friend and she had given it out with only the smallest hesitation.

Naruto's eyes widened at the sound of Sasuke's voice, his expression flitting from shock to fear and then to forced cheeriness.

"Sasuke!" he exclaimed irritatingly loudly, loudly enough everyone on the floor to hear most likely; the walls were probably as substantial as tissue paper. "What are you doing here?" Even as he asked the question, Sasuke could see calculations going on behind Naruto's eyes, working out that the only link between this address and Sasuke was Sakura.

"We need to talk," Sasuke repeated, nice and slowly, incase Naruto thought his 'confused but happy' attitude was going to make Sasuke forget what he was here for. Naruto seemed to notice as his smile faltered for a second before returning with even more energy behind it.

"Sure!" Naruto said, like they were friends who had just bumped into each other. In another world, they might have been. "What d'you wanna talk about?" Then he seemed to take note of the surroundings and quickly changed his mind. "I mean, we should talk, but not here, let's go somewhere else."

"Okay," Sasuke agreed nodding, playing along. "Somewhere else. How about your apartment?"

Naruto looked half way about to agree, then realising altered what he was going to say. "Um, really? My apartment?"

"It's right there, isn't it?" Sasuke said, moving away from the wall and gesturing behind Naruto. "Unless there's a good reason not to." Naruto heard the challenge in his voice because he stopped looking as though he was thinking of a good excuse.

"Ah," he said, a resigned sort of smile playing around his mouth. "Sakura told you."

"Yes," admitted Sasuke.

"What do you want then, if you know?" Naruto's expression was guarded.

"Like I said, just to talk," Sasuke reitterated. "If we can't go into your apartment, we should go to mine."

Naruto seemed to war with himself for a few seconds before conceding. "Okay. Fine, let's go already." His mind made up, he was suddenly in a big hurry to leave, which made sense since the longer they stayed outside the flat, the more likely either Haku would come out, or Sasuke would insist on going in.

"I'm driving," Naruto said as the walked to the stairwell.

"I brought my car," Sasuke corrected. "I'm driving."

"Then you'll have to drop me back," Naruto warned him. "I don't wanna get stuck on the other side of the city."

"That's fine," Sasuke said calmly. Naruto glared, then snorted angrily.

"I hope your car was vandalised," he muttered, before walking faster and rushing down the stairs, suddenly in a rush to get out.

Sasuke followed at a slower pace, trying to keep a grasp on his thoughts as they skittered across his mind.

Outside in the bright sunlight, Naruto looked dimmer for once, but he was standing by Sasuke's unvandalised car, tapping his foot impatiently. Sasuke noted that there was no reason for him to know which car was Sasuke's. True, it was rather shiny looking and the rest of the cars in the half empty carpark were covered in the dust that accompanied a dry summer, but still, he was too sure for it to have just been a guess. Sasuke made nothing of it, just unlocked it with a beep and gestured for Naruto to get in.

During the drive, Naruto wouldn't stop fidgeting; perhaps because he was nervous or maybe he was just that full of energy. First he drumming his fingers along the side of the chair, then he kept twisting to look out of the window. Finally he settled on fiddling with the radio, messing up all the pre-programmed stations Sasuke had in in his search for something better. He couldn't seem to make up his mind what was better, since whenever he found a good station, got the signal clear and then adjusted the volume, he would spontaneously decide that the song he really wanted to hear was on another station and would start all over again. All Naruto acted certain of was that Sasuke's taste in music was poor.

"I can't believe you own this," Naruto had said after abandoning the radio half way between a talk show and a jazzy number -both intermingled with static- and attacked the glove compartment instead. It was painful to have Naruto pushing things around, haphazardly pulling out a CD that caught his attention and then dropping it back in randomly.

"What's wrong with it?" Sasuke gave the CD a glance before looking back at the road. When he looked back, Naruto had his mouth open in disbelief.

"What do you mean what's wrong with it?" he wanted to know.

"I mean what I said," Sasuke replied with a slight huff. "What is wrong with it?"

"It's _classical_," Naruto said as though he felt the word itself was going to eat him. "And it's a CD. Do they even sell CDs anymore?"

"I prefer CDs," Sasuke muttered, irritated at having his collection scoffed at. "And there's nothing wrong with classical." There was a silence while Sasuke turned the car, and when he looked at Naruto he was looking almost sad.

"You're like an old man," Naruto said at last, with an expression of condolence. "A weird old man."

"I'm not an old man," Sasuke snarled, steering a little too viciously and having to quickly pull the wheel back to avoid accident. Naruto appeared not to notice either his comment or the driving.

"A weird old man," he was still saying. Sasuke decided to ignore him for the rest of the drive.

When they arrived, Sasuke got out first, waited until Naruto got out, locked the car and started walking, not checking whether he was being followed. After a few seconds he heard brisk footsteps and then Naruto, bright, energetic was keeping pace, just in the corner of his vision.

The person at the reception desk either didn't recognise Naruto or was different from the one who had been there that first night, when he re-met Naruto, either way he said nothing as they passed and went up in the elevator.

Inside Sasuke's apartment, he suddenly felt awkward, not quite sure what to do. Somewhere along the journey, probably at the point where Naruto had declared him a weird old man, the situation had altered from the strict black and white to something a lot more fluid. What was Naruto to him? Someone who had blackmailed him? A friend? Sasuke could count the number of people he would call a friend on one hand, and none of them made him act the way he did around Naruto. There was just something about him that made Sasuke relax slightly. Maybe it was that they knew each other before everything in Sasuke's life had become darkened with with shadow of what Itachi had done. Maybe it was something else.

He locked the door behind them and heard Naruto mutter something about being locked away and them never finding his bones. It baffled Sasuke how someone could do the things Naruto did and act the way he did.

"Aren't you gonna offer me a drink?" Naruto wanted to know as soon as Sasuke turned from the door. Sasuke tilted his head slightly, considering.

"Should I?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, raising his chin. "Insulting your taste in music made me thirsty. You got anything fizzy?" Sasuke had moved to the fridge and was inspecting it.

"Sparkling water."

Naruto made a face. "I cannot believe you drink that. Please tell me you at least add alcohol?" When Sasuke shook his head, Naruto looked appalled. "Old man!"

"There's a Fanta," Sasuke said, discovering a can at the back of the fridge, presumably left there by Sakura about a month ago.

"Mine!" Naruto said, suddenly right next to Sasuke and swiping the chilled can from his grip.

Sasuke was tempted to pour himself a scotch, with Naruto around he would no doubt be in need of mild inebriation, but thought it was better to remain sober for this conversation so instead got a glass of sparkling water with lemon, just to irritate Naruto who was greedily drinking the orange without even sitting down. Sasuke watched, amused, as his Adam's apple bobbed each time he swallowed. Mid-gulp, Naruto seemed to notice and stared at Sasuke suspiciously.

"What are you looking at?" he asked, pausing in his quest to drink the entire can without taking a breath.

Sasuke wasn't sure what to say he had been looking at and so instead settled for shrugging. "That's bad for you," he offered instead. Naruto scowled.

"So's being a jerkface," he shot back. Sasuke didn't know if 'jerkface' was better or worse than 'old man.' He moved to the sofa and sat down, Naruto hesitated for a moment before joining him, sitting at the other end, leaning back against the armrest.

"You know," Naruto said out of the blue. For a minute, Sasuke expected him to continue his sentence, then he realised it was finished already.

"Yeah," Sasuke replied. "Sakura told me." Naruto looked thoughtful, shaking the can of pop a little so that the soda made a metallic sloshing noises against the sides. "She didn't realise."

"She wouldn't have," Naruto said, eyes tracing the lines of the sofa where it touched the floor. "I didn't tell her about this." He made a casual gesture between the two of them.

"Right," Sasuke said, more to play his part in the conversation than to make a point.

"We used to be at school together, me and Sakura," Naruto said, taking a gulp of his drink. "Only for a bit, I moved around a lot. I used to irritate her so much, always asking her to go out with me." He fixed his gaze on Sasuke. "Are you two back together then?"

The question threw him completely. "What? No, we're not," Sasuke replied a little louder than necessary. "Why?" Naruto shrugged.

"I just figured, she was talking to you so..."

"She was just here to pick some of her things up," Sasuke said firmly. It was important Naruto understand that there was nothing between Sakura and himself. "We were just talking."

"Oh," said Naruto, sounding genuinely surprised. It made him look naive and very young. "Oh."

"Why?" asked Sasuke, suddenly seizing upon an errant thought. "Do you like Sakura?" Naruto's eyes widened again.

"N-no! No, of course I don't," he said, before processing the words and trying to back pedal. "I mean I do like Sakura, I like her a lot! A whole lot! She's really pretty and kind and smart and doesn't hit me so much anymore, but I don't like her like her." Inwardly, Sasuke sighed. 'Like her like her.' Apparently they were back to being twelve year olds.

"Right," he said, taking a drink for want of something to do. There was a silence while they both drank. Sasuke wished he had thought to put some music on when they came in, it would look strange if he did it now. "Why didn't you tell me about Haku?"

If Naruto was surprised by the sudden change in topic, he didn't show it. He moved a little, straightened his back against the arm of the sofa. "Why would I have?" he asked.

"If you had, I would have just given you the money," Sasuke said abruptly. That was the truth, and part of his anger was fuelled by feeling guilty for taking advantage of someone who was just trying to help a friend.

"Really?" Naruto asked. He didn't sound sceptical or regretful, but somewhere inbetween.

"Yes," Sasuke hissed out, suddenly angry. "It wasn't even that much money." It wasn't that much money now that it was paying for an operation. When it was just a figure that he was being blackmailed for, it was a lot more.

"Maybe not for you," Naruto countered. There was quiet as they both digested that.

"Why are you so..." Sasuke trailed off, he didn't know the word, didn't know how the sentence was supposed to finish now that he had started it. It wasn't something that happened to him a lot. "I would have given you the money," he settled for repeating.

"I know," Naruto said finally, making Sasuke look up from his now empty glass. He set it on a cork coaster. "I thought- hoped you would have if I had told you, but..." Naruto looked a little sad and then shrugged. "I couldn't risk it. There was still the small chance you might say no. I hadn't seen you in years," he added.

"I guess," Sasuke said. "Where did you go anyway?"

"Huh?" Naruto appeared taken aback by the question. "Me? You were the one that disappeared." Sasuke inhaled a little too quickly as they skipped around the unmentionable topic.

"Yes, but I moved. They told the school, everyone knew. You just disappeared," Sasuke explained. Naruto's eyes narrowed, the blue of his irises bright.

"How would you know?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "I moved back here for highschool and bumped into a few people from our old class one time. They said you were there one day and then you weren't."

"You asked?" Naruto questioned, his voice almost wistful. "About me, about where I was. You asked?"

"I don't remember," Sasuke said, and he didn't. Maybe he had asked, or maybe someone had mentioned it. 'What about that kid, the weird blond one, I heard he went missing.' Either way, he had found out. "They said you ran away."

Naruto nodded, thinking. "'S' true. I did. Me and Haku." His expression was definitely sad now.

"Where to?" Sasuke had never seriously considered running away. The things he wanted to leave behind would have stayed with him anyway, and before that he had had a loving family that he would have to have been insane to run from.

"Abroad to start with," Naruto said. Seeing Sasuke's look of confusion, he continued. "We were with this friend, this...friend of Haku's, he took us." Sasuke couldn't help but wonder what exactly had happened to the friend to make Naruto sound like that. "Then we came back, moved around a lot. We were around here by the time I was in highschool, where I met Sakura. We didn't stay for too long though. Probably less than a year."

"Sounds like you travelled a lot," Sasuke commented, his voice even. It hadn't escaped his notice that the friend Naruto had mentioned obviously had contacts and some kind of agenda for them to be enrolling in schools all over the country and then some, and continuously moving from place to place. Not to mention the whole thing was illegal and probably amounted to kidnapping.

"Yeah, a lot a lot," Naruto agreed. "But we ended up back here just six months back, or round about."

"How old did you say you were when you met Sakura?" Sasuke asked.

"Ummm, sixteen," Naruto replied. "First year of highschool." He had finished his drink and was drumming his fingers against the empty can.

"Funny," Sasuke remarked. "I was with her for the last two years of highschool. We just missed each other."

"Oh yeah," Naruto said with a frown. He shifted, folding one of his legs under him and resting a hand on the other.

"I was supposed to be there from halfway through the first year, actually," Sasuke said slowly, the memories coming back to him. "I was going to transfer because Itachi was always sneering about what a bad school it was and I thought it would piss him off."

"Why didn't you end up going?" Naruto asked.

"My uncle decided I ought to be away from the general population and go to private boarding school. He offered to pay my fees and my guardian, Kakashi, thought it was a good opportunity for me."

"Then why were you in Sakura's school for the last two years?" Naruto asked, forehead creased trying to keep up.

"After two years, my uncle had a change of heart and stopped paying. I didn't want any of my parents' money to be wasted on something like school when I could get it for free. The company wasn't doing very well at that point and I knew that I would need the money to improve it. I asked to leave," Sasuke explained.

"He just changed his mind?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"Yes, he's like that," Sasuke said dryly. One of the many reasons he hated his uncle.

"Sakura didn't mention me?" Naruto asked, changing the topic. His bottom lip stuck out in a way that could be the beginning of a pout.

"She did, actually," Sasuke said, realising it himself. "I just didn't know that the person she was talking about was you." Sasuke didn't add that he hadn't paid much attention to what Sakura had said back then.

"Man, if you'd just asked someone, I was even using 'Uzumaki' again by then," Naruto said, shocked by the chance.

"Yeah," said Sasuke, not sure what he was agreeing with. If he had 'just asked' then what? He would have known that Sakura had known Naruto too. What difference would it have made? He supposed it was one of those things he would never know.

"I put Haku on the Uchiha Corp payroll," Sasuke said abruptly, looking across at Naruto who glanced up quizzically.

"Huh?"

"The Uchiha Corp payroll. I put Haku on it. Do you want me to draw a picture to illustrate?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes at Naruto's stupidity.

"I get it," Naruto snapped at the jibe, then went back to confusion. "Why?"

"Because, idiot, if he's on the payroll, the insurance will cover his operation," Sasuke explained. "Does that make sense to those five brain cells of yours?"

Naruto didn't react to the insult, instead stared at Sasuke, his mouth slightly open.

"You're paying for the operation?" he asked, as though Sasuke had said he was going to cure world hunger.

"The company is, yes," Sasuke said.

"You said not until I got something decent on the Akatsuki," Naruto reminded him.

"That was before," Sasuke said simply. Naruto blinked, lifted his chin a little as though about to speak, and then Sasuke found his arms full and his vision obscured by a lot of blond hair. It took a few seconds before Sasuke realised that Naruto had thrown himself at him and was now hugging him like he was trying to kill him.

Sasuke wasn't a fan of hugs. Sakura used to hug him sometimes from behind when he was dressing, and occasionally if they weren't going to see each other for a while, but Sasuke always thought of it as himself being hugged, rather than two people hugging. Hugs were irritating things, unnecessarily physical and invasive.

"Thank you," Naruto whispered into his neck, ridiculously, inappropriately close.

Sasuke thought that maybe this hug wasn't so bad.

*

Naruto ended up telling Sasuke everything.

Once he started with a story, he inevitably got distracted by something, connected it to something else, and by the end he had explained not only the past few months, but a lot of the past few years. He had never been able to keep his mouth shut once he opened it, but it felt good to talk to Sasuke like this, freely, without worrying about what he couldn't let slip and what he could say without repercussions.

Sasuke listened patiently, commenting now and then but mainly letting Naruto talk as much as he wanted. At some point he got up and made them both tea which Naruto didn't usually like that much, but he added enough sugar to make it palatable, ignoring the look Sasuke gave him as he heaped teaspoon after teaspoon into his cup. After that Sasuke had stopped making tea and they had started on a bottle of wine because Naruto insisted that whiskey tasted bad.

"Since Haku is getting his operation, you can give me the film now," Sasuke said after a comfortable silence. They were still on the sofa but more comfortable. Naruto had his legs crossed indian style while Sasuke had one leg up and one on the floor, and had turned his upper body to face Naruto.

"The film?" Naruto asked, sipping at his wine. It was red, and tasted not great, but Sasuke seemed to think it was something special so Naruto pretended to like it. He hadn't drunk a great amount of wine. Infact for someone who had worked in numerous bars over the years his drinks experience was very small, mainly limited to beer. Zabuza had once told him that whiskey would put hair on his chest but Naruto had liked his chest the way it was, and hadn't liked whiskey anyway. Sasuke drank a lot of whiskey, from the looks of things. Naruto thought about asking him to verify Zabuza's claim, but decided he was far from drunk enough to do that.

"Yeah, the camera film," Sasuke said, shifting a little and then drinking a bit more wine.

"Oh," said Naruto slowly, before brightening. "Oh, it's at the back of your cutlery drawer."

"What?" asked Sasuke, frowning and looking at his wine glass in slight confusion.

"I left it here the first day I came in," Naruto said with a shrug. "Didn't feel right keeping it."

"It was here all along?" Sasuke asked, dumbfounded.

"Yup!" Naruto declared cheerily, leaning back and draining his glass. "All along." Sasuke didn't know whether to strangle him or to laugh. He settled for sighing. Naruto wiggled slightly, making himself more comfortable against the cushions. Sasuke's sofa was a lot nicer than his sofa, he couldn't help noticing.

"You are a weird blackmailer," Sasuke told him scowling. Naruto wrinkled his nose at the word.

"I didn't wanna be a blackmailer," he mumbled, leaning forward to the coffee table where the wine was standing and grabbing the bottle. "I hated it, all of it. Lying to you and Sakura and Haku. Putting my friends in danger..." He poured himself a fresh glass and settled back into the sofa. "I kinda hate myself."

"You had your reasons," Sasuke pointed out. Naruto shrugged.

"Doesn't make it any better," he muttered. "I never thought I'd be the kind of guy that just abandoned his morals when things got rough." He scowled, eyes losing their focus.

"Maybe you're just the kind of guy that doesn't give up on his friends?" Sasuke suggested. Naruto shrugged again but his mouth curved slightly.

"Maybe," he allowed.

"You and Haku have always been close," Sasuke remarked. "Even when you were kids."

"Yeah," Naruto said, breaking into a proper smile as he remembered. He was feeling comfortable and sleepy and warm, an effect no doubt contributed to by the wine. "Best friends. Always have been, ever since we met."

"When was that?" Sasuke voice was warm and soft like velvet.

"When I was five," Naruto said, smothering a yawn. "He said he liked my face. Or I said I liked his face. I don't remember."

"When you were in the home?"

"Yeah, back then." Naruto opened his eyes, having closed them for a few seconds. "We used to talk about getting out of there all the time. How we'd get a mansion with a swimming pool and a budgie." His smile dimmed slightly, a ghost of itself. "Then Zabuza came along and we did get out of there. But it wasn't like we thought it would be." Naruto let out a long breath, frowning. "It was all different."

"We all ended up with different lives to the ones we dreamed up when we were children," Sasuke said after a time, his voice low. Naruto remember that as a kid, Sasuke had said he wanted to work for his brother, in their family's company. That was almost what he was doing, but at the same time it was so different.

The silence was broken when Naruto yawned again, not bothering to cover his mouth through sheer laziness.

"Are you tired?" Sasuke asked. "Perhaps we should stop drinking." He reached for the bottle and shook it slightly. "The wine is mostly finished anyway."

"'M not tired," Naruto protested through another yawn before glancing at Sasuke sheepishly. "Maybe a tiny bit." He glanced at his watch and winced. He had hoped to stay the night at Sai's place but should have met up with him earlier if he wanted to do that. It seemed like he would have to chance a night in his own flat. Maybe Haku would have taken his sleeping pills and wouldn't notice him. He sat up a little straighter, putting his wine glass down, and found that Sasuke was looking at him oddly.

"What?" he asked, the wine making him blunter than usual.

"You can stay here, if you like," Sasuke said. "It's a big couch." Naruto blinked at the offer and wondered if he was imagining the slight flush on Sasuke's cheeks.

"Um yeah, that'd be cool," he replied. His words weren't slurred, but they weren't precisely clear. "Thanks."

"I just don't want to drive you back at this time of night," Sasuke said quickly, standing and taking both their glasses to the kitchen, busying himself there. Naruto leaned back into the sofa happily, eyes shut, listening to glasses clinking and then water running. He probably should brush his teeth, or at least wait until Sasuke brought him a pillow. Naruto didn't think that Sasuke had meant him to just curl up on the couch and fall asleep. But he was far too tired to care.

*

The morning was different. Without alcohol to smooth the way, Sasuke found himself confused. Naruto had slept on the couch immediately, so Sasuke had draped a blanket over him and left him to drool all over the upholstery. Seeing Naruto sleep was strange. He seemed completely under, but if Sasuke got too close he would start to shift, so Sasuke left him to it and went to the kitchen.

The whole situation was confusing. Why was Naruto asleep on Sasuke's sofa? Because Sasuke had volunteered the sofa to be slept on. Why had he done that? Because Naruto was tired. It all sort of made sense, but at the same time Sasuke felt like he was purposely skimming around an important topic.

At the forefront of his mind as he started slicing some beef tomatoes, was that he couldn't remember the last time he had had a friend over. If that was what he was calling Naruto, a friend. Sakura had of course been living with him, but that was different, they had been dating, it was completely expected.

Sasuke didn't think he'd actually ever had a male friend stay the night, not even when he was younger and might have had sleepovers. Did normal people invite their male friends to sleep on the sofa? Maybe, maybe not.

Another thing bothering Sasuke was that he understood that with the blackmail over, the film back in his possession and Haku's operation being paid for was that whatever had been going on between the two of them, he and Naruto, was now over. Naruto would wake up, Sasuke would drop him back at his flat and they would probably never see each other again. Sasuke had preferred before, where he felt like he could trust Naruto simply because he was being blackmailed by him, if that made any sense. Sasuke had felt like the whole confusing situation with his Uncle Madara and the Akatsuki was being shared: Naruto was helping too. Now Sasuke realised that it was his responsibility, it had nothing to do with Naruto.

Sasuke ignored the sadness that curled inside him and set about washing some basil.

He had just left the bread laden with tomato, brie and basil under the grill when a shuffling noise alerted him to Naruto.

"G'morning," Naruto mumbled, slipping into a chair at the counter. He still looked half asleep with his hair sticking up at every angle and the blanket draped around his shoulders.

"Morning," Sasuke greeted, glancing at him. "Juice?" Naruto looked bleary for a second, before nodding.

"Yeah," he said, running a hand through his hair and patting it a little. Sasuke poured him a glass of orange juice and set it in front of him, then poured one for himself. He heard Naruto take a noisy gulp but when he turned back, leaning against the work surface, he noticed Naruto was inspecting the glass suspiciously. "What's with this juice?

"It doesn't taste good?" Sasuke asked, taking a sip for himself. It tasted fine, like it always did.

"It tastes fine, but it's got weird stuff it in," Naruto explained, looking more alert by the second.

"Weird stuff?" Sasuke frowned, taking another sip. "Do you mean pulp?"

"What's pulp?"

"Juicy bits, bits of the orange," Sasuke explained patiently. Naruto remained suspicious.

"I prefer smooth," he said finally. "Juicy bits are weird."

"Okay," Sasuke agreed rather than argue about juicy bits. The grill made a ping noise. "Breakfast is done."

"Breakfast?" Naruto seemed to perk up a bit at the word, the blanket slipping onto the chair next to him. "What're we having?"

"These," Sasuke said, taking the tray out with an oven glove and showing Naruto before he slid the toast onto plates and passed one across.

"It smells really good," Naruto said, his tone tinged with disbelief as he scrutinised the food. "What's on it?"

"Cheese, tomato, herbs, seasoning," Sasuke listed off. Naruto took a bite and made a sound of appreciation. "Good?"

"Awesome," Naruto said between mouthfuls. He swallowed and looked over at Sasuke. "Is this what all your mornings are like?"

"Like what?" Sasuke asked, taking a little bite of his toast.

"Like this," Naruto said, waving his free hand about. "Orange juice with juicy bits and fancy breakfast and the sun coming in through the window."

"Not in the winter," Sasuke said. Naruto stared at him blankly for a second.

"You made a joke!" he crowed. Sasuke shifted, uncomfortable with being the centre of attention.

"I make jokes all the time," he muttered. Naruto shook his head, affecting a wise expression.

"No no, you make fun of me all the time, that's not the same as jokes," Naruto clarified. There was quiet while they ate the rest of their breakfast. Sasuke didn't think he had ever had a morning quite like this before.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

Thanks for the reviews! I try to reply to them, but sometimes I have nothing to say...I might start replying with a smiley. Not sure how you'll all feel about that. ALSO, if anyone has an LJ, look me up there :) If you don't have an LJ, get one! They're fun, I promise!

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

When he reached the top of the stairs, he realised the corridor was not empty. It usually was for some reason, and Sai was used to being the only one there, or there with Naruto.

Today, there was a girl, a woman really, standing outside Naruto's door. She didn't look like she was about to knock, she was just standing there, looking at the floor. Sai took a few steps forward, taking note of the unusual shade of her hair. What was it that Naruto had told him? He had a friend called Sakura that had pink hair. So this was her. She seemed to be deep in thought.

"You must be Sakura," he said when he was a metre away. Sai thought he had used a quiet voice, but Sakura's head shot up like he had shouted. Her eyes were wide with surprise as she glanced at him. Good thing he hadn't worn the the top Naruto fondly referred to as his hooker top. "I'm Sai, Naruto's friend," he explained with a smile, putting out his hand.

"Oh, hi, I'm Sakura," she said with a smile of her own although her expression was still a little shocked. She shook his hand anyway. Her fingers were cold, Sai noticed, and a little dry like she had just washed them. "How did you know who I was?"

"You were standing outside of Naruto's flat, and very few women have that shade of hair colour," Sai explained.

"Oh, of course," Sakura said with a little laugh, pulling at a a lock of candy floss pink hair. "Are you looking for Naruto?" She was wearing a cream coloured sleeveless blouse and a pale green skirt, the shade not as intense as that of her eyes.

"I was," Sai said, wondering if he looked very dark to her in his all black ensemble. "I expected to hear from him last night but he didn't call me." Naruto had been spending quite a few evenings at Sai's apartment which Sai didn't particularly mind. Rather, it made his apartment far less lonely to have Naruto bouncing around.

"Maybe he's busy," Sakura suggested, "you know how Naruto is."

"Yes, that's probably it," Sai agreed. "Are you here to see Haku? Naruto told me how you were helping him."

"I'm not sure how much help I'm doing," Sakura said with a sigh, looking down for a moment. "But yes, I just checked up on him. I was hoping to bump into Naruto as well actually, but he's proving rather elusive."

'Elusive; evading capture, comprehension or remembrance,' Sai thought. "Yes, that's Naruto. Can I help with anything?" Sakura smiled, showing her teeth a little and shook her head.

"It's nothing important, I just wanted to chat with him. I feel like he and I haven't really spoken. Did you know we used to be at school together?" Her tone was sad, a little nostalgic.

"Naruto did say," said Sai.

"I bet," Sakura replied, a smile replacing the sadness for a moment. "He talks all the time."

"I think it's his talent," Sai agreed seriously. "He says more on average per hour than most people say in a whole day." Sai didn't add that he had counted, since when he had shared that very interesting (in his opinion) piece of information with Naruto, he had received a pitying stare. "He said you were friends in school."

"We were," Sakura confirmed, nodding more to herself than to Sai, a smile curling at her lips. "Good friends. I was lonely for a while after he left." She focussed suddenly, looking up at Sai. "That's another thing I wanted to mention to him, I didn't realise he knew Sasuke."

"Sasuke?" Sai queried with a frown, but Sakura misunderstood him.

"Yes, Sasuke Uchiha," she paused. "Did he ever mention him to you?" Sai's frown deepened.

"Yes, he did," he said finally. "A few times." Specifically as in 'I think I'm going to have to blackmail Sasuke.'

"He didn't tell me at all, neither of them did," Sakura said, her voice carrying a trace of sulkyness. "I was speaking to Sasuke the other day and I mentioned his name and it turned out they'd known each other all along."

"You mentioned Naruto to Sasuke?" Sai asked, feeling the beginnings of worry.

"Yeah, Naruto and Haku," Sakura continued, unaware. "I was just talking about Haku's operation..." she trailed off as Sai said nothing. "Should I not have?"

"There is probably no need to worry," Sai tried to reassure her. His attempt was apparently extremely transparent as Sakura looked horrified.

"What is it?" she asked. "Don't say something like that and then not tell me." A steely look had appeared in her eyes, one of determination and one that made Sai reassess his assumption that Naruto had exaggerated about all the violence she was capable of.

"It's not overly important," Sai tried once more, extremely reluctant to explain the complicated plan to Sakura, since if Naruto hadn't told her, he clearly didn't want her to know. Unfortunately he must have given something away as Sakura's eyes widened.

"Don't tell me..." she started slowly. "This, the way he's getting the money...it isn't anything to do with Sasuke is it?" Sai said nothing. Naruto had said she was smart, but Naruto thought anyone who could do algebra was smart.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she unclasped her handbag, pulling out a shiny pink phone.

"If you wont explain, then I'll call Naruto and ask him myself," Sakura said, looking determined.

"Go ahead," Sai said graciously, ignoring her glare as she started dialling. He would have excused himself and made the call himself if she didn't. Naruto had made it very clear from the beginning that he didn't want Sasuke knowing about Haku, and even if it was a false alarm and everything was fine, Sai had no idea how to deal with Sakura.

*

When the phone rang, Naruto was in the shower.

"Your phone is ringing," Sasuke called through the door, wondering if he could even be heard over the noise of the spray.

"What?" Naruto yelled back, his voice muffled.

"Your phone!"

"What about it?"

"It's ringing!"

"Pick it up then!"

"Okay," Sasuke called back, before turning to the little device and flicking it open. "Hello?"

"Naruto?" the voice, feminine, sounded confused, but was recognisable.

"Sakura?"

"Sasuke?" More confusion.

"Yes."

"Oh, ah, hi."

"Hi, Sakura," Sasuke said, humouring her. "How are you?"

"I'm um, good, thanks. Great. Super. How are you?"

"Just peachy," Sasuke replied. "Did you want something?" Inside the bathroom, he heard the water switch off.

"N-not really," there was a pause, then muffled whispering. The corner of Sasuke's mouth twitched. "I was um, looking for Naruto actually. This is his phone."

"I'm aware," Sasuke said, amused. "He's busy."

"Oh, I see," Sakura said slowly.

"Would you like me to take a message?" Sasuke asked politely.

"No, that's fine," Sakura said quickly.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked, leaning against the wall opposite the bathroom. "I can give it to him when he gets out of the shower."

"He's in the shower?"

"Yes, although I think he's finished now," Sasuke said.

"Your shower?" Sakura wanted to know.

"The one in my apartment, yes," Sasuke clarified calmly, feeling a little guilty for teasing her like this. At least he felt comfortable enough to tease her. Two days ago he could hardly get a sentence out. The door opened and a cloud of steam preceded Naruto who exited rubbing at his head with a towel. He was wearing yesterday's jeans but was holding the shirt in his free hand.

"You still talking? Who is it?" Naruto asked, pausing in drying his hair.

"It's Sakura," Sasuke said to him, before speaking into the mouthpiece again. "He's out now, I'll pass the phone over.

"Ah okay," Sakura said. "Thanks."

"Bye Sakura." Sasuke passed the phone to Naruto. "Put more clothes on," he said to Naruto as he walked into the bathroom, wrinkling his nose at the steam. He hoped the idiot hadn't used his toothbrush.

*

"It's certainly unexpected," Sai commented, watching a few cars drive by.

"Did you know?" Sakura asked. They were sitting on the steps that led up to Naruto's apartment building, watching the cars and people move around them. They were right next to the carpark, so the summer air was tinged with the heavy smell of gasoline, but it wasn't unpleasant to sit there.

"About what?" Sai asked, glancing to his right where Sakura was sitting, a small frown on her forehead.

"About Sasuke and Naruto," Sakura said, pulling her knees closer to her chin.

"About their...existence?" Sai hazarded a guess. Sakura sighed impatiently, evidently his guess had been off the mark.

"About their relationship," she clarified, emphasising the last word. Sai blinked in confusion.

Relationship: The condition or fact of being related; connection or association. "Oh, their relationship. I knew a little about it." He had thought it was strictly a blackmail relationship, but perhaps it was the blackmail and sleepover kind.

"Oh. I didn't know," Sakura said quietly, as though to herself. "Do you know how long it's been going on for?"

"About a month, I would say," Sai informed her cheerfully. Sakura looked shocked, and then hurt, before forcing a neutral expression.

"Oh, I suppose that's why Naruto didn't tell me," she mumbled, clasping her hands around her knees and resting her chin on them.

"Should he have told you about his relationship with Sasuke?" Sai asked. It had made sense for Naruto to keep it quiet, but perhaps this was a typical girl reaction.

"Well not necessarily, I just thought he would have, given the situation," Sakura said slowly. She looked sad, so Sai decided to comfort her.

"Don't worry," he said with a smile. "He probably didn't realise. I am sure he will tell you about all of his future relationships."

For some reason, that didn't seem to comfort Sakura, infact her frown deepened. "Does he have a lot of relationships?" she asked, a little curious. Sai nodded.

"Oh yes. Naruto is very popular. In fact, he taught me a lot about relationships," Sai informed her.

"R-really," Sakura said rather than asked. Then she looked up a little awkwardly, brushing back her hair. "I'm sorry, I know it's none of my business. I just always thought Naruto liked girls..."

"He does!" Sai insisted. "He likes girls _and_ guys."

"I see," Sakura said, sounding distressed, she hesitated before asking. "Did you and Naruto have a relationship?"

"Of course," Sai said amicably. "We still do. One of my most important relationships is with Naruto." For a second, Sakura looked shocked, then confused, and then a sort of understanding fell across her features.

"Sai," she started, then fixed him with a straight look. "When you say 'relationship,' what do you mean?"

"Relationship: the condition or fact of being related; connection or association," Sai quoted. He was happy to see that Sakura didn't roll her eyes at him like Naruto was prone to. Instead, she looked very much like she wanted to burst out laughing. "Isn't that what you mean?"

She did laugh then, a light giggle that she hid behind a hand, her whole posture relaxing. "Not quite," she said when she had recovered a little.

"What did you mean?" Sai asked curiously. Naruto did say he was bad at reading social situations. At least Sakura seemed happier now.

" I meant as in a... couple sort of relationship," Sakura explained.

"Oh, I see," Sai said, storing the information away. "The kind where the people in the relationship kiss and engage in other sexual acts?"

"Uhm, yes," Sakura said after a moment, looking half startled, half amused. "That sort."

"With Naruto and Sasuke?" Sai asked, confused. "I don't think they are in that sort of a relationship," he stated. Sakura shrugged, looking back out across the carpark.

"Maybe, maybe not. You never know with Naruto," she said lightly.

"I suppose not," Sai had to agree. He remembered something Naruto had said. "You were engaged to Sasuke weren't you?"

"Mm, yes," Sakura said, glancing at her left hand. "I was."

"But now you are not, and you think he is in a sexual relationship with Naruto. Are you sad?" Sakura frowned at him.

"Do you always talk like that?" Before he could answer with an affirmative, she carried on. "A little sad."

"It's strange, I thought Naruto would end up in a sexual relationship with you," Sai said bluntly. "It's the typical scenario; girl from his past that he meets that he used to have a crush on. I think I saw a movie like that."

"Well, life isn't like in the films," Sakura pointed out, rather unnecessarily. The lack of soundtrack somewhat gave it away, Sai though.

"Still," he continued. "You are pretty and you like him and have nice breasts, I don't see what the problem is." Sakura was silent, so he looked across to find a fist flying towards him.

"Ow!" Sai exclaimed, falling backwards, his hand going to his cheek. "You hit me!" So Naruto hadn't been exaggerating at all. "I don't think I deserved that."

"Trust me, you did," Sakura said darkly, but her cheeks were flushed and she was smiling as she reached out a hand and pulled him back up. "But thanks. For saying I was pretty, not for talking about my breasts," she clarified. "I'm sorry I had to hit you."

"It's okay," Sai said, tentatively poking his cheek. The shock was fading and it was feeling very tender. "I should have expected it. Naruto did warn me you were violent." He got punched again, but Sakura had the presence of mind to hit the other cheek. At least he would match.

"You should put some ice on that," Sakura said after a few minutes in which Sai had been gingerly moving his jaw. Sai said nothing, because he didn't want to get hit again, but made some mental notes. Sakura didn't like people talking about her breasts, and she didn't like being accused of violence. She hadn't claimed to not be violent however, so at least she wasn't in denial. Still, Sai didn't know if those rules occurred only to her, or to all girls. He thought it would be better to ask and chance another hit and just get it all out of the way rather than get hit by another girl at another time.

"Do all girls dislike it when you comment on their breasts?" Sai asked bluntly. This time, Sakura appeared to have grown accustomed in a short span of time to the way he spoke and just smiled in a bemused way.

"Do you always talk like this?" she asked again, not answering his question.

"I believe so," Sai said seriously, leaning back on the stairs. "Naruto always says I fail in social situations." Sakura laughed a little, as though he'd made a joke.

"Are you two close then?" she wondered out loud.

"Yes. I think," Sai answered. "What I mean is, we are, but it's difficult to tell with Naruto." Sakura nodded, made a noise of agreement. She seemed to be happy now, was smiling at least.

"I know what you mean, I love Naruto, but I can never tell what he's thinking. Well, except for ramen," Sakura commented, repositioning herself so her legs were crossed at the ankle. Sai kept his eyes on her face. Naruto had said girls liked that. "Just when you think you know him, he goes and does something like this." She didn't explain what 'this' was, but Sai had a good idea.

"He is unpredictable, yes," Sai agreed. Sakura leaned back on her hands, tipping her head back and closing her eyes for a second.

"I wonder if I'll get a tan," she voiced out loud. Sai watched as the movement made her hair spill back, exposing the pale skin of her neck. Necks were close to faces, so that was probably okay.

"UV rays cause more damage to DNA than our cells can correct and in frequent doses is a potent mutagen," Sai informed her. Sakura cracked open an eye, revealed a slither of deep green.

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"I read it in a book," Sai announced happily. Sakura closed her eye again.

"Hmm, me too," she said. "Are you a doctor, Sai? Naruto didn't say."

"I'm a photographer," Sai told her.

"I see. I think I'm going to get away from the UV rays before I mutate," Sakura said, opening both her eyes and standing. She seemed pleased about something, a lot less worried than the woman Sai had met outside Naruto's apartment. "Would you like to come?"

Sai looked up at her, she wasn't looking at him, was looking at the sky instead. Perhaps she was worrying about her DNA. He thought about her offer, repeated it in his head. No sarcasm. He took care to keep his eyes on her face before standing

"Alright," he agreed. "Where are we going?"

"Lunch?" Sakura suggested. "I'm in the mood for fried chicken." Sai wondered if she knew how many calories were in fried chicken. Then he wondered if she wanted bigger breasts, and to that end was eating high calorie fried chicken. He mentioned none of his thoughts out loud and as a result did not get hit again. It was a learning experience, in his opinion.

*

"Do you think they got the wrong idea?" Naruto asked when Sasuke exited the bathroom.

"What's the wrong idea?" Sasuke wanted to know, disappearing into the bedroom for a second and reappearing without the towel he had carried.

"The idea where Sakura and Sai think you and I are doing the horizontal tango," Naruto said, twisting to look at Sasuke over the sofa which he had become unnaturally attached to. It was just so incomparably better than his own. Although Sasuke quickly covered his look of surprise with blankness, Naruto was delighted to notice his cheeks flushed a little. "Or is that the idea you'd like them to get, huh Sasuke?"

"Hn, idiot," Sasuke replied, doing up his shirt. "What time is it?"

"About eleven," Naruto said, flopping back onto the sofa and wiggling a bit. "Why, got a hot date?" He jumped as Sasuke leaned over the back of the sofa, his head inches from Naruto's.

"Are you offering?" Sasuke asked with a smirk. Naruto's eyes went very wide, before he looked away stubbornly.

"Huh, you should be so lucky," he announced snobbishly. He felt rather than heard Sasuke let out a little chuckle before he moved away.

"I have to go to work," Sasuke informed him, acting like nothing had happened, although he seemed to be taking a little longer than necessary to do up his tie.

"Right," Naruto agreed, out of breath for no apparent reason. "Aren't you late?"

"Yes," Sasuke said casually. "They should be able to function with out me, perhaps Itachi will decide to grace us all with his presence." When Naruto said nothing, he glanced down at the couch. "What?"

"You really hate him, huh," Naruto said a little sadly. He was perched on the edge of the sofa, looking at the rich carpet. As soon as he asked the question he felt the light atmosphere dissipate in an instant.

"You know what he did," Sasuke said in reply, his voice cold and nothing like the teasing one he had been using just a second ago. He didn't wait for an answer but instead walked back into the bedroom. Naruto sighed, flopping back on the cushions.

'Way to ruin the mood,' he thought.

Sasuke returned to the lounge twenty minutes later, to find Naruto watching cartoons on his plasma screen.

"This is so awesome," Naruto said as soon as Sasuke came into his line of vision. "This channel shows twenty four hour cartoons!" Sasuke blinked at the screen which showed a little girl with a big head punching an evil looking monkey. "I love this!"

"I didn't realise we had it," Sasuke murmured, tilting his head in confusion as the monkey went flying. It appeared to be wearing high heeled boots. "You like this?"

"It's awesome!" Naruto repeated, tearing his eyes away for a second and patting the sofa next to him. "Come, sit, watch!" When Sasuke hesitated he quickly added: "I mean, unless you have to get to work?"

"No it's fine," Sasuke said, sitting down next to Naruto and frowning at the action on the screen, all traces of the mention of Itachi gone. He was silent for a few minutes while Naruto kept his gaze riveted to the screen. This was one of his favourites, although he had always been fond of cartoons. Since the home hadn't had many extra channels, Sasuke's television was something of a novelty to him. "I don't get it."

"Huh?" Naruto said, looking at Sasuke as the end credits played and he resisted the urge to sing along with the happy music. "What's not to get?"

"Why is the little girl hitting the monkey?" Sasuke asked, frowning as though presented with an algebraic problem. "Doesn't it offend animal rights activists? And why are they flying? They don't even have jet packs or gliders or any sort of support."

Naruto stared at him with first shock, then confusion, and then sadness. "You weird, sad, old man," he said finally, shaking his head. Sasuke frowned.

"It's hardly weird, this show doesn't pay attention to simple physics," he argued. In the background, another episode began playing, but Naruto wasn't paying attention, instead he had turned to face Sasuke better.

"It's a cartoon! It's not supposed to make sense!" Naruto insisted, gesturing wildly, having switched from regretful at Sasuke's lack of cartoon-knowledge to staunchly defending it.

"Even if it's a cartoon, such blatant disregard for reality is jarring for the viewer," Sasuke said bluntly. Naruto stared again.

"It's for _kids_, Sasuke, _kids_," Naruto explained very slowly. "You know, they're short, not so bright, high pitches voices, like running around and stuff that is fun. Ring any bells?"

"Hmmm, nope, can't say it does," Sasuke replied, smirking again. "Besides, if this show is for kids, why are you watching it?" Naruto didn't really have a good excuse for that except that he liked the bright colours and happy storylines.

"Adults can enjoy cartoons too," Naruto said with a huff. He faced the screen again, wondering why Sasuke was sitting right next to him, when the sofa was so big. It was sort of uncomfortable, to have him right there.

"I don't see it," Sasuke said finally. Naruto glanced away from where a cartoon dinosaur was inspecting a tree to see Sasuke looking perplexed again.

"Heh, maybe you should just forget about watching cartoons," Naruto suggested. "Are you going to work?"

"Yeah, I should," Sasuke said with a grimace, reaching for the remote and turning it off. "I'll drop you back first."

"Uh, cool," Naruto said, standing and stretching. He felt a little reluctant to go home, despite knowing he had to. It wasn't like he could spend the rest of his life in Sasuke's apartment, watching cartoons and drinking orange juice with juicy bits. Sasuke rose too and started getting his things for work, briefcase, keys, jacket. "Do you have to wear a suit every day?"

"I don't have to," Sasuke said, slipping on his jacket, "but I prefer too. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to dress seriously." Naruto shuddered, making a face.

"Urg, I'd hate that. I can't stand wearing suits," he announced, eyeing the starched collar with distaste. "So uncomfortable."

"You never know, someday you might have to wear one too," Sasuke warned, a smile in his eyes. Naruto shook his head violently at the thought.

"No way, I'm gonna be a journalist, they can wear whatever they like!" he exclaimed still eyeing the suit with distaste.

"Journalist hmm," Sasuke said thoughtfully. "You said you were going to be a journalist." At Naruto's confused look, he clarified. "When we were children, I mean." Naruto felt puzzled.

"What? I said I was gonna be a reporter?" he asked.

"Yes, along with a few other things, I think," Sasuke replied pensively.

"You remember that?" Naruto asked, feeling absurdly flattered. He hardly remembered the vast array of careers he had made a claim to as a child.

"Not exactly, I forgot, but then you mentioned it, and I remembered again," Sasuke said with a little smile.

"Oh, cool," said Naruto, smiling stupidly without any idea of what he ought to say. "I mean, cool." 'Great,' he sighed mentally. 'Now I definitely sound like I have mental problems.' Sasuke politely made no mention of this.

"Shall we go?" he asked, checking his phone and then putting it in his pocket.

"Yeah, sure," Naruto said, patting his pocket to make sure his own phone was there and then patting the couch farewell before leaving.

The drive was quieter than the previous day. Naruto took the opportunity to recommence insulting Sasuke's taste in music by systematically going through each CD, but once that was done, he lapsed into silence.

Naruto watched the scenery change as they moved from the inner city towards the suburbs where his apartment was. Sasuke didn't try and start a conversation, but then Naruto hadn't really expected him too. He had been surprised when Sasuke had spoken so much the previous evening, but pleased too. It was a strange thing, this relationship with Sasuke. Naruto didn't know if they were friends, or if they were just people who knew each other. Now that the blackmail was over, would they even see each other again? The idea of not seeing Sasuke again was horrible; it made Naruto feel like a cup ramen had been snatched away from him, just before he was about to dig in. A far more potent feeling that he would have expected.

"We're here," said Sasuke, interrupting Naruto's thoughts. Surprised, Naruto looked around and recognised his building.

"Oh yeah, we are," Naruto said, blinking at the outside. "That was fast." He glanced at Sasuke who was looking back at him with a strange expression, one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the hand rest. "What?"

"Nothing," Sasuke said after a second. Naruto gave him a pitying look.

"Weird," he muttered under his breath, glancing out of the window and then back in. "I should go."

"Yeah, me too," Sasuke said, eyes flicking to the clock on the dashboard. Naruto cleared his throat, his stomach was swirling slightly with anticipation, but he didn't know why.

"Well, I'll call you when Gaara gets something from those files," Naruto said, when Sasuke made no more conversation.

"Okay, good," Sasuke replied, watching Naruto intently.

"Great," Naruto said awkwardly, confused as to what he was talking about. He undid his seatbelt and stepped out of the car. "See ya."

"Yeah, bye," Sasuke returned. Naruto closed the door and walked into the building, hearing the car drive away but not turning to see it. As he took the familiar steps he couldn't help feeling like he had missed something; like he had made a mistake.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

Naruto opened the door quietly, shutting it gently as soon as he entered, mind still full of Sasuke and rethinking their morning, the evening before, trying to see what he had missed, because he was sure there was something.

"Naruto?" he glanced up quickly at his name, eyes settling on the source of the noise, Haku. He was wearing dark blue boxers and one of Naruto's green teeshirts, sitting at the counter in the kitchenette and to Naruto's surprise, eating.

"Hey, Haku," Naruto said, thoughts of Sasuke momentarily disappearing. "You're up." He had assumed Haku would be either sleeping or pretending to sleep. Despite the surprise, he was happy to see him sitting and doing something so normal like eating. It was the first time since Zabuza's death that Naruto had walked in on him actually _doing_ something. Most of the time he was staring blankly into space and was only half aware that Naruto had even entered the room. Mentally, Naruto calculated that it had been nine days since he last saw him awake; Haku was looking a little better. Like one of the living, at least.

"Yeah," Haku said, "it happens." He looked down at his bowl, pushing some hair of his face with one hand and swirling the contents of his bowl with his spoon. "I haven't seen you around lately."

Thick, heavy, accusing guilt twisted in Naruto's stomach. It wasn't a complaint, Haku would never do that, never intentionally hurt him, but it was true. Still, Naruto felt a little hopeful, Haku was far more focused than he had been previously, even aware of how much time had passed.

"Uh, yeah," Naruto said awkwardly, hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck. "I've been busy." That was true, he had been busy. First with the blackmail, then with the Akatsuki and- Naruto remembered suddenly and practically sprinted the few steps to where Haku was sitting. "Guess what!"

"What?" Haku asked, nonplussed, looking wary at Naruto's sudden proximity.

"_Guess_ ," Naruto insisted.

"I don't know, Naruto, why don't you tell me," Haku said with a sigh. Naruto inwardly berated himself, of course Haku wasn't up to guessing games yet. Even so, his high spirits remained.

"I got the money!" He announced, his tone bursting with excitement. He couldn't stop a happy smile spreading across his face as the reality set in. He did it, even if it hadn't worked out like he thought it would. Haku would get his operation, he would be fine. Haku's brown eyes widened, the dark patches beneath them disappearing momentarily.

"What?"

"Just what I said!" Naruto exclaimed, feeling like he had won the lottery. "Your operation is covered."

Haku just stared at him for a few seconds, his mouth open, before he seemed to come to himself and closed it. "You actually got it?"

Naruto faltered a little. "You didn't think I would?"

"I should know better than to doubt Naruto Uzumaki," Haku said, a small smile coming to play around his mouth. "You never go back on your word."

"Damn right I don't!" Naruto all but shouted, practically bouncing up and down before leaning over and enveloping Haku in a one armed hug, breathing in the familiar scent of his skin. "Damn right," he muttered again. Haku stayed quiet, letting Naruto hold him.

"So, aren't you going to tell me how you did it?" Haku asked once he was released. He swirled his spoon in the bowl again and Naruto realised he was eating cereal.

"Oh yeah! How I did it!" Naruto started, about to start on his story, when he realised that Haku might not approve of his methods. The last thing he needed was Haku feeling guilty that he, Naruto, had broken the law to help him. "It's sort of a long story."

"We have time," Haku said calmly, finishing the cereal and taking it to the sink.

"Eh, it's not really interesting," Naruto tried, knowing all the while his denials were futile. If there was one person in the world that could tell when he was lying, it was Haku. Every nervous gesture, every unnecessary embellishment, every hesitant pause Haku would detect and read into. Naruto kept his eyes on the counter, looking at the space that Haku's bowl had previously occupied, until he noticed there had been no reply. He glanced up to see Haku looking at him with a strange, almost sad expression, his head tilted to the side.

"Was it something to do with Sasuke?" Haku asked, his voice calm, like he was saying 'Did you eat spaghetti for dinner?' As though he knew the answer, and was only confirming what he knew.

"Wh- Huh?" Naruto started stupidly. "I mean, why would you say that?" He attempted to collect the scraps of his nonchalant facade. Haku smiled, just a little, and Naruto forgot about trying to act like there was nothing wrong and just thought 'I missed that.'

"Sakura stopped by this morning," Haku explained, drying the bowl with a yellow tea towel. "She bumped into Sai on the way out and I could hear them talking through the walls."

"Oh," said Naruto, frowning slightly in thought, then his expression cleared and he looked slightly wary. "Do you wanna know everything?" He winced at the thought. Although he didn't regret a single thing he had done, and knew he would do the same thing, given the choices again, he didn't want Haku to feel responsible for his actions. Relief flooded through him when Haku shook his head slowly.

"No, it's okay. You did it, just like you said you would. That's enough," he said setting the bowl on the counter with slightly more care than expected. Then he turned and looked at Naruto, his gaze clear and familiar. "Thank you."

Startled, it took Naruto few moments to pull himself together and recognise the warmth curling in his stomach as happiness. "It's fine. I mean, of course I did. I.." he lost his flow a little, caught up in the world of 'what if I didn't's and 'what if I lost him?'s. "I had to," Naruto finished, pasting a smile on his face. It didn't feel right, but he felt like he had to smile anyway.

Haku was still looking at him, leaning back against the counter, his teeshirt bright and almost garish against his pale skin. He opened his mouth slightly, like he was going to thank Naruto again, then closed it. "What's going on between you and Sasuke?"

Naruto gaped at the sudden turn around in conversation. Haku's voice had gone from quiet and earnest to teasing. "What?!"

"You heard," Haku said calmly, brown eyes sharp as he watched Naruto. A slight smile was at the edge of his mouth, not so much a happy smile, as a forced happy smile. The kind that Naruto was more familiar with receiving from Haku these days, but it was better than apathy.

"There's nothing going on between me and Sasuke who I haven't even seen in ages you know, not since we were kids so obviously we don't even talk and it hasn't got anything to do with anything," Naruto babbled out nonsensically. Sensing that he had confirmed his guilt, he twisted his mouth into a scowl and added: "'S none of your business anyway."

"How was it?" Haku asked lightly, completely ignoring Naruto's rambling. Naruto glared at him from under his not quite dry but not wet hair, expression deeply suspicious.

"How was what?" he asked slowly, eyes narrowed to slits of blue. Haku looked at him innocently.

"The sex," he clarified. Naruto's eyes snapped open, widening in surprise and despite being completely stationary, he managed to nearly fall over.

"Wh-what?!" he near shouted as soon as he had recovered his composure minisculely. "There was no sex! Why would you think there was sex when there was no sex?!" Haku acted like Naruto wasn't having a dramatic episode in the kitchenette, and shrugged casually.

"Sakura said you were in his shower," he said by way of explanation.

"So I took a shower! That shows I like being clean! Nothing about sex," Naruto said quickly, then struck by a thought, tacked on: "Sakura said that?"

"I'm fairly sure she thinks you are sleeping with him," Haku disclosed solemnly.

"But I'm not!" Naruto wailed, his tone reminiscent of a sulky child.

"But you _are_ dating him?" Haku checked.

"No!" Naruto exclaimed. "We were just hanging out. Hey!" He pointed at Haku accusingly. "Why are you being so normal about this? Shouldn't you be surprised that I even spoke to Sasuke?" Haku shrugged again.

"I figured you two would end up meeting again," was all he said.

"Hmm," Naruto drew out the sound, distrusting. "Hmm. Well. We're not having sex," he muttered finally. "Sasuke isn't even gay."

Two months ago, Haku would have responded with: 'Ha, I've yet to see a straight man with hair like that,' but this was two months on so Haku just gave him a level stare. It was slightly disconcerting really, and it took Naruto a few seconds to realise why. It was the kind of stare he was used to getting from Zabuza.

"Well he's not," Naruto continued when Haku said nothing. "I mean he was engaged to Sakura! She's a woman! The thing in the papers was just... nothing." When Haku didn't speak, Naruto stared at the floor, at the swept clean but still dirty linoleum that had been in place when he moved in.

"It sounds like you like him," Haku said suddenly. He was smiling, but his voice was flat.

"It's not..." Naruto stopped, not sure what he was saying. It felt like he was trying to have two conversations, one with Haku, light and teasing and maybe getting off his chest how he'd been feeling for the last couple of days. The other was with this new person that was trying very hard to be Haku. Naruto didn't know if he should carry on like nothing was wrong or try to bring it all out in to the open. What had happened, he wondered, to the almost light conversation, the almost normal one between two friends. Unsure, he settled for saying nothing, just watching.

"I think I'm going to take a nap," Haku said suddenly with an apologetic smile. "I took some pills before I ate so I guess they're kicking in."

"Right," said Naruto, not mentioning that Haku had refused to take his pills every other time Naruto had seen him. Either he was lying about it now, or he had suddenly started taking them. Naruto wanted very much to ask, to clear out all the confusion and just ask Haku what was going on with them, but he stopped himself. This wasn't about them, about Naruto and Haku. It was about Haku and Zabuza and that was something that Naruto had never been a part of. Naruto couldn't help fix this unless Haku wanted him to. "I guess-" The rock song of Naruto's ringtone cut through his sentence and he fumbled in his pocket to answer. "Hello?"

"It's me." Naruto recognised the voice as Gaara.

"Hey, what's up?" Naruto asked, glancing across to Haku who was staring at the floor.

"I decrypted the files."

"Already? Awesome!" Naruto said. "Anything good?"

"Plenty," Gaara replied succinctly.

"Should I come over?" Naruto asked, confused at the edge of Gaara's voice.

"That would be appropriate."

"Got it," Naruto said. "I'll be there in thirty."

"Good," Gaara said before hanging up. Naruto frowned before hanging up himself and putting his phone away.

"Hey, I have to go," he said to Haku, wondering why Gaara wanted him to look at the files. Surely it was straight forward now? Send the files to Sasuke and that was that? "Is that okay?"

"It's fine," Haku replied, still looking at the floor. "Like I said, I'm going to sleep anyway."

"Right," Naruto said, more to himself. "I'll see you then." Feeling slightly awkward, even though it was technically his own flat, he made his way out, half his mind preoccupied with Gaara and half still on Haku.

*

Haku let out a sigh of relief as soon as Naruto closed the door. It wasn't that he didn't like seeing him; on the contrary it had been great to see him for the first time in about a week. At the same time, seeing Naruto was tiring. Back when they were younger, Haku loved Naruto's energy and positive attitude, being around Naruto was enough to cheer him out of any mood. But now Haku just wanted to be alone, to wallow in the quiet predictability of the world. Naruto messed that up.

It was like trying to play a part, Haku supposed. He knew that Naruto couldn't deal with him like this, he wasn't supposed to anyway. So to make Naruto feel better, Haku tried to act like he would normally, but every now and then, he let something slip through to show that he wasn't as happy as he was pretending.

And now, there was Sasuke.

Years ago, on a typical day, Haku had gone for a walk with Zabuza. They had been in a park, it had been quiet, and Zabuza had seemed ever so slightly uncomfortable, as though walking by a lake where ducks floated amiably was out of his comfort zone. It had been endearing, and Haku always traced back being in love with him from that day. Of course it had been years later before anything had happened, Zabuza had revealed himself incredibly good at refusing each and every one of Haku's come ons so effectively that Haku had thought that Zabuza didn't want him at all. In the park, Haku had thought to himself 'I love him' and then 'I will wait.' He never regretted waiting, because eventually Zabuza stopped ignoring Haku's attempts at seduction, and after that his life had become incredibly similar to paradise.

When Haku had gone home that day, full of awe at the feeling inside him and bubbling happiness that came with the discovery- I'm in _love_- he had wanted to tell Naruto. He and Naruto had never, ever kept anything from each other, and even then, heady with emotion, Haku recognised that he didn't want that to change, not ever. He had been ready to tell Naruto, waited excitedly for him to return home, passing the time by detailing every event of the day in his diary. He had imagined how he would tell Naruto, how he would start off, what Naruto would say. Would he be surprised? Would he tease him? Haku had been so excited, desperate to share this new feeling that threatened to overwhelm him.

And then Naruto had come back, wide eyed, grasping at a candle, clearly having been witness to _something._ Haku had postponed the good news, had asked what was wrong. A curious thing had happened. Just like all the other times Haku had asked, Naruto opened his mouth to speak, to explain, to open up, and then- he didn't. He said it was nothing, made up a story to pacify Haku and then ran off to the bathroom.

Haku had sat in their shared bedroom feeling confused, hurt, and a little angry. What was it, that could possibly have made Naruto reconsider telling him? The next day, the Uchiha murders had been all over the news, and it didn't take much to put two and two together, but as to why Naruto hadn't told him about it was still a mystery. Haku could understand Naruto not telling anyone else, but to pretend to him?

Haku knew that in recent years, Naruto had been a little envious of his relationship with Zabuza. Later, when the truth about them came out, Haku understood Naruto enough to know that what bothered him most was that Haku had kept it a secret, that Haku had put Zabuza before Naruto.

Naruto had begrudged him for letting someone come between them, Haku had known that, and had known how Naruto would feel when the truth came out. He had known, but that day, while Naruto was in the bathroom, Haku had decided not to tell him about Zabuza.

Naruto had been angry that Haku had kept his relationship with Zabuza a secret, but in truth, it was Naruto who had first let someone come between them.

At the same time, Haku knew that this was the way of the world. Friends grew up, and even if their friendship remained important, other relationships appeared too. That was part of life. Naruto had started that growing up process nearly a decade ago, and now Sasuke was back and he was finishing it.

It wasn't only that. More that Naruto had met someone, was moving on. Even Sai and Sakura had sounded like they were bonding through trauma (though more trauma on Sakura's part). But he, Haku, was stationary. He was stuck in the past.

Haku left the kitchenette, entering the bathroom considering actually taking his pills from the cabinet. Whereas before he had wanted to just wallow in his misery, he was starting to dislike feeling this way. He had been surprised at the amount of relief he had felt when Naruto told him that he could afford the operation now. The feeling had caught him off guard, it made him realise that somewhere along the line he had stopped wanting to die which he imagined was cause for celebration.

He paused, ready to open the cabinet and met his own disinterested gaze. Haku frowned; was this what he looked like now?

Dull brown eyes looked back at him, his skin was paler, pasty really, his eyes puffy with dark patches beneath them, telling anyone who cared to look that he wasn't sleeping soundly. He looked pale, drained. Awful. His long brown hair that he had always taken pride in was lifeless, hanging limply and devoid of shine.

This was how it was supposed to be, he knew. This was him grieving over a loss he would probably never recover from. He should look like this, should feel like this. But after five long weeks of hurting for every second of every day, Haku didn't want to anymore.

Naruto was moving on, and Haku was eleven years old again; lovesick over someone he would never have, except this time there wasn't even the slither of hope that he had cherished then. As ridiculous as it was, he was jealous of his younger self, the one when he was eleven, the one that had everything to look forward to. All those heart stopping moments, the lazy mornings, the heated nights. All those thing were now lost to him, with no hope of ever being recovered. He hated it, and he hated what his life had become.

Something would have to change, he thought, leaving the bathroom and instead opening a drawer in the kitchenette. He couldn't go on like this.

*

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," Gaara said when Naruto walked in, not sounding a bit sorry. The door had been open again, and Naruto blinked, trying to speed his eyes transition from lit corridor to the dim room.

"Not really," Naruto said, shapes becoming more clear. Dark and empty, save for the computers and cushions, the room looked exactly as it had the last time. It figured, Naruto had assumed Gaara wouldn't be into décor. As before, the large monitor was on, throwing light on the room. Naruto made his way towards it and sat down next to Gaara, selecting a random cushion.

"That was quick," Gaara said monotonously, the contents of the screen reflected in his green eyes. He doubled click something and a folder appeared on the screen.

"I take speed limits as helpful suggestions," Naruto said with a smirk.

"You should be careful, there are speed cameras everywhere," Gaara cautioned. Naruto batted his eyelashes and put a hand to his chest in mock emotion.

"Oh Gaara, I didn't know you cared," he teased, then shifted his demeanor to boastful. "I've never had a ticket." It was true, despite his frequent and varied offences, he had never had a ticket, and always avoided anything more than a warning. Whenever he and Haku got into a fix, Naruto would boast that it was his charm and fast talking that got them out. The police probably couldn't bear to fine such a nice kid. "What have you got?"

"Lots," Gaara said. "Although I am sure there would be more on Madara's own computer, and the most incriminating files have probably been destroyed, there is the usual; signs of foul play, a few less than legitimate deals." Gaara paused. "An extensive network of underworld contacts." The soft emphasis Gaara put on the words made Naruto still, his insides freeze.

"You mean Zabuza..." Narutu couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

"Was there, yes," Gaara confirmed gently. "But don't worry, he was only mentioned once."

"What did it say?" Naruto asked in a low voice, focusing on the cushion, the floor, anything but meeting Gaara's eyes.

"He was approached for a short term contract with a project in mind, but it said it failed," Gaara explained, his fingers stilling on the keyboard. "I don't know if that means he failed or he refused."

"I would have known," Naruto said firmly, keeping his head down. "If he had done anything for them, I would have known about it." He knew the feebleness of his words even as he said them.

"Maybe, maybe not," Gaara said diplomatically. They both knew that if Zabuza had done work for the Akatsuki, it would not have been official enough for Naruto to know. "Still, there's nothing else written about that except that the whole project was called off. I think it's more likely that he refused it seeing as there is no mention of any money being exchanged." That was significant because both Naruto and Gaara knew that Zabuza had a money first action later policy.

"Okay..." Naruto said slowly, trying to organise his thoughts. "So is that what you wanted to tell me about?"

"Partly," Gaara said, glancing back at the screen and opening another file. "Since Sasori had suggested it, I looked at the personnel file too."

"I didn't get that," Naruto grumbled. "What's so interesting about personnel files?" He fidgeted with the corner of the pillow he was sitting on. He heard rather than saw Gaara tapping a few keys.

"See for yourself," he said, causing Naruto to look up. He stared at the monitor, feeling something heavy settle in his stomach.

"Got it," he said weakly after a few moments had passed. "Can you print that out or something?" Gaara nodded and turned back to the computer, presumably printing the document.

Sasuke would want to see this.

*

Sasuke's day had taken a downward turn as soon as he entered the office.

He appreciated that he had infact skipped work the previous day in order to confront Naruto, and was about three hours late, but he had been under the impression that the company could function without him. An erroneous assumption it would seem.

First thing, as soon as the elevator had opened on the top floor, he had received an earful from Karin. He had resorted to blocking it out eventually, but the words 'egotistical' and 'lazy' had featured frequently, as well as the phrase 'prancing around with that rent boy.' Sasuke had thought it better to retreat to his office than try and tackle whatever insanity had entangled Karin.

Next, before he had even managed to boot up his computer Kakashi came in for one of their typical circular, annoying talks that might have been a carefully disguised lecture or it might have just been Kakashi being irritating. The whole twenty minutes of it could be condensed into:

Kakashi: I heard you have a rent boy. I never would have suspected.

Sasuke: I don't have a rent boy.

Kakashi: Karin said you skipped work to indulge in various unspeakables with him.

Sasuke: I don't have a rent boy.

Kakashi: Remember to use protection though, you never know where they've been. Make sure sex is _all_ you're paying for.

Sasuke: _I don't have a rent boy._

And so on.

Eventually, desperate to get him out, Sasuke claimed that he did in fact have a rent boy and yes they would use protection and yes they would name their man-babies after Kakashi and no he would not skip work again, just to get Kakashi to leave his office.

When he opened his emails, he had found that there were eight from Kabuto, which he deleted maliciously, only to find that when he called Karin to tell her on no account was Kabuto to be allowed into the office, she had already scheduled him in. Sasuke made a mental note to hire a less crazy secretary next time.

To top it all off, Itachi _still_ wasn't in. And he _still_ was sending those irritating little emails reminding Sasuke to ask Madara if he needed any help. He even had the audacity to suggest that maybe Sasuke didn't need to bother looking into the archives if he was overworked trying to maintain the company without him, and they could put the project on hold until Itachi returned. Sasuke nearly broke the keyboard trying to delete those as fast as possible.

The Itachi situation was getting ridiculous, Sasuke thought as he replied to a few of the serious emails. He let his mind drift to Naruto and wondered what he was doing. A check of the time showed that it was surprisingly late in the day, being overloaded with work made the time past swiftly he supposed. On the bright side, he hadn't seen anything of his uncle, which suggested that Sasuke had been declared a lost cause. The last time they had spoken was when Naruto had asked him to distract Madara while he broke into the Akatsuki, and Sasuke had spent the whole three hour period talking as much as possible and not letting his uncle get a word in.

As he finished up with some paperwork, Sasuke devised a little scheme in his head. Karin had pencilled in Kabuto rather late, so perhaps Sasuke would finish up and then just sneak off home. Kakashi had disappeared around lunchtime, saying something about going to his poetry club, so he wouldn't be around to scold him. It was a good plan, Sasuke thought. A little rough, and a little ridiculous, but a plan at that. He would go home, put on some soothing jazz, have some whiskey and ignore work while he tried to figure out what was going on with Naruto.

That morning had been nice, he mused. Very nice, nonsensical cartoons not withstanding. But at the same time he was aware that he and Naruto were very different people and it was only through a twist of fate that their paths had crossed again in the first place. Sasuke was pleasantly surprised that they could discuss anything at all, since he knew he wasn't the world's most talented conversationalist, but Naruto seemed to pull words out of him. Still, he was a young businessman, practically running a national company. Naruto...Sasuke wasn't actually sure what Naruto did. He said he was studying journalism, and had glossed over what Sasuke assumed was unsavoury information about his past occupations.

The intercom buzzed and Sasuke picked up automatically.

"Yes?"

"Did you order dinner?" Karin's voice came through, sounding faintly annoyed.

"What? No," Sasuke said, frowning. He was planning to leave, not sit around and eat.

"I knew it," Karin said triumphantly. "I got a call from downstairs, but I knew you'd never order ramen-"

"Ramen?" Sasuke asked quickly. "The order is ramen?"

"That's what the guy says," Karin confirmed, a little uncertain. "Don't worry about it Sasuke, I'll just-"

"Tell them to send him up, Karin," Sasuke interrupted her.

"Send him- But you hate ramen," Karin argued, confused.

"It's fine," Sasuke said, letting go of the button and ignoring Karin's protest. He settled back to wait.

Five minutes later, Naruto walked in.

"I don't think your secretary likes me," he confided as he closed the door. Sasuke hid a smirk, he was sure that Karin didn't like Naruto.

"It's all in your head," he said while Naruto sauntered over and perched on the edge of his desk. Naruto was holding a carrier bag in one hand, and a large envelope in the other. He dropped the envelope on the table and turned his attention to the bag, from which he withdrew two cartons.

"Here, brought you dinner," he said cheerfully, placing one (the smaller) carton in front of Sasuke.

"That was smart," Sasuke said, accepting the chopsticks he was offered. "Clever way to make sure I knew it was you."

"Hehe, actually," Naruto scratched the back of his head with one hand, holding his chopsticks in the other, "I was just in the mood for ramen, and then it seemed like a good idea. If they didn't let me in I would have thrown pebbles at your window." He snapped his chopsticks in two enthusiastically and removed the lid from his food.

"This is the twelfth floor," Sasuke pointed out as Naruto started inhaling his meal.

"I'm a good shot," Naruto said between mouthfuls. Sasuke rolled his eyes. They ate in silence for a little while, so long as you didn't count the ridiculous slurping noises from Naruto, since Sasuke didn't see any need to start a conversation. When they had both finished, Naruto far before Sasuke despite having a bigger portion, Naruto's expression sobered.

"I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon," Sasuke said evenly, putting the rubbish in the plastic bag and dumping it in his bin.

"Yeah." Naruto wasn't facing him but Sasuke could tell he wasn't smiling. "Gaara finished with the files." Instantly the atmosphere changed from casual to serious.

"I see," Sasuke said, wondering why Naruto hadn't just emailed the files over. "It doesn't matter if you didn't find anything. Haku can still have his operation."

"I didn't think- It's not that," Naruto said, frowning slight. Sasuke took his seat on the opposite side of the desk.

"Then what?" he asked. Naruto picked up the envelope he had laid on the desk before and rubbed the corners, a little nervous and a little pensive.

"There was quite a bit of dirt, but there was this too," he said, tapping the envelope with his index finger. "A friend told us to check the personnel files, and we did, and this was what was there." He hesitated for a second before passing the envelope to Sasuke who received it warily.

"Personnel files? But we know who works for the Akatsuki," Sasuke said slowly, even as he opened the envelope.

"Just look," Naruto said, jaw clenched like he was preparing himself for something. Feeling a chill settle in his stomach, Sasuke pulled out the contents and looked at them.

"What is this?" he asked after a moment.

"One of the personnel files, an Akatsuki executive." Naruto's voice seemed distant.

The document was a typical employee information sheet, if a little more in detail than would be expected. It had normal stats, a biographical paragraph and medical history, as well as a photograph. If Sasuke hadn't recognised the pale skin, cold dark eyes, long black hair and bored gaze, features all so similar to his own, but acutely different, he could have read the name.

"Itachi," he breathed, hands gripping the papers so tightly they almost tore.

"Yeah," said Naruto, his voice low. "Itachi."

Sasuke found his throat was very dry, he could feel the anger swirling in his stomach, but right now, was numbed to it by the sudden betrayal. And there was anger at himself too, for not expecting it. For the tiny, stupid part of him that had trusted his brother, even after everything. That had thought maybe, just maybe, Itachi was sorry or better yet that Itachi had had a reason for everything. A magical reason that would explain everything away and let them be brothers again.

"He's been working for the Akatsuki all this time," Sasuke said hoarsely, eyes scanning down the text. Blood type, date of birth, all information that Sasuke knew almost as well as he knew his own. It seemed to make the hurt bite deeper.

"It looks like that," Naruto said. Sasuke swallowed thickly, his jaw tight as he stared at the paper, subconsciously willing its contents to change. A buzz from the intercom knocked him out of his reverie and he automatically moved to connect the call.

"Not now, Karin," he said shortly, utterly unwilling to entertain anyone at the moment. From the corner of his vision, Naruto shifted on the desk. What did Naruto think he would do now that he knew, Sasuke wondered.

"But Kabuto-" Karin's voice was clearly agitated, she had no idea, Sasuke realised. No idea that just a wall away from her, he was sitting at his desk and looking at proof that his brother had betrayed him once again.

"I don't care," Sasuke said bluntly.

"Sasuke he has an appointment-" Sasuke bit back an angry retort, shoving the paper into a drawer and glancing at Naruto who met his gaze seriously.

"Fine, send him in," Sasuke acquiesced, his tone sharp. "Five minutes." He let go of the button and the call disconnected.

Naruto looked at him warily, concern clear on his features. "Sasuke..."

"It's fine," Sasuke replied. "It won't take long." There was a soft knock on the door, and then Kabuto stepped in, looking apologetic. Sasuke wasn't sure why, since he was the one that had avoided seeing Kabuto for the best part of a month.

"Sasuke, thank you for meeting with me," Kabuto said in greeting. Sasuke made all his employees refer to him by his first name, since 'Mr Uchiha' was Itachi.

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Sasuke asked curtly. Kabuto's eyes flickered to Naruto who offered him a little wave. "Ignore him."

Kabuto looked like he very much wanted to ask who Naruto was, but refrained. "In the interest of cutting down on expenditure, I wanted to go over some of the finances with you."

"Kabuto, I'm really not interested in persecuting employees for charging the company room services or whatever it is you're referring to," Sasuke said brusquely. Kabuto gave him a ghost of a smile which was probably to hide his irritation at Sasuke's rudeness.

"It's not room service," he said walking over to the desk and passing a file to Sasuke who took it and slipped out the papers from inside.

"And this is?" he asked in a bored voice.

Kabuto remained unaffected. "It's the annual company expenditure. Those highlighted in green are all fine. The ones in orange are areas of possible excess-"

"And the one in red?" Sasuke asked, cutting him off. He was uninterested in learning about how the company could save money if they recycled staples, and clearly the one item that had been highlighted in red was why Kabuto was here.

"Ah, that one," Kabuto said, adjusting his glasses slightly. "It's recorded as miscellaneous, but it's paid out every month. As you can see from the details, it's not a small amount when it adds up, but small enough that it isn't missed every month."

"So?" Sasuke asked, bored. Naruto seemed to be following the conversation, but said nothing.

"So I was wondering why there is a monthly transfer of money from the Uchiha Corporation bank account into the Akatsuki's."

Instantly, Sasuke was alert, sitting up straighter, he could feel Naruto's look of concern but ignored it, shaking his head. "That's impossible," he said curtly, looking at Kabuto. "All direct transfers have to be signed by one of the co-presidents."

"It has been," Kabuto returned. Sasuke swallowed, sensing the inevitable before it was revealed. "Itachi's signature is on every one of the transfer sheets."

There was a pause, in which Sasuke struggled with understanding and not wanting to understand, ignoring both Naruto and Kabuto while he fought with himself.

After a moment, he spoke. "I see. Thank you for informing me." It was a clear dismissal and Kabuto nodded before leaving.

Sasuke leaned forward slightly, his chin resting on his folded hands. Why was this such a shock to him? He should have lost all trust in Itachi ten years ago, and yet this fresh hurt stung keenly, even though it should have been expected. "I suppose it's true then."

"What are you going to do?" Naruto's voice broke the silence. Sasuke considered for a few moments, letting the thoughts fly around his head. What did he want to do? What could he do? He felt so angry, angry at himself, angry at Itachi. Sasuke wanted to go round to Itachi's apartment and punch him, hurt him, make him feel half the pain that he had been put through.

"I'm going to confront Itachi," Sasuke said finally, standing up. Naruto regarded him warily. "Show him this, ask him to explain it, and then...." _Beat him to within an inch of his life,_ a glib voice in his mind whispered. That was nonsense, Sasuke knew. He had never been able to beat Itachi in a fight, and wouldn't be able to unless Itachi actually _was_ sick, which Sasuke was doubting more and more.

Naruto regarded him for a second, his brow slightly furrowed. "Alright, I'm coming with you." Sasuke paused, riffling through his pockets to check his keys were here.

"Naruto," he started, "this is between me and Itachi. It's nothing to do with you." He ignored the hurt look Naruto gave him. Whatever they were, blood was thicker.

Naruto, to his surprise, affected an unconcerned expression. "Okay, fine. How're you gonna get there?"

Sasuke frowned at the unexpected question. "My car, obviously."

"Aaaah, your car. Shiny, black, you park it in front of the sign that says 'S. Uchiha'?" Naruto asked flippantly. Sasuke nodded. "The one with the tyres I let the air out of about half an hour ago?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"What?" he asked in a low voice. Naruto continued as though he hadn't spoken.

"So the way I see it, you can call for a cab, and have one more witness to this whole twisted affair, or," he shook his keys. "I can give you a ride." Sasuke scowled, his expression at odds with the dazzling smile Naruto sent him, although he fancied he could see strain at its edges.

"Fine, let's go," Sasuke said brusquely. Naruto let relief show fleetingly on his face.

"Good," he said, letting Sasuke lead him out of the office.

"I'm finishing for the day, Karin," Sasuke said absently as they passed, ignoring the surprised look from his secretary in favour of walking briskly to the elevator and punching the button. "Once we get there," he addressed Naruto, "don't get in the way.

"I won't," said Naruto as the doors pinged open, then amended: "Not unless I have to."


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

Sorry about the fake update! That was an accident. Here are two chapters to make it up to you. (thanks for the reviewer who let me know!!!)

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

At any other time, Sasuke would have found riding Naruto's motorbike an interesting experience. As it was, he hardly noticed the journey, so absorbed was he in thoughts of Itachi.

He had given Naruto the general area, Itachi's apartment wasn't far from his own, and not much time had passed before they pulled to a stop. Naruto locked his bike while Sasuke pulled out his phone. He very rarely called Itachi, but still had his number programmed in, in case of emergency. He pressed the call button and held the phone up to his ear, listening to it ring as they walked into the building.

"What if he doesn't answer the door?" Naruto asked while the phone rang through to answer machine and Sasuke redialed. They stepped into the elevator.

"I have a key," he said grimly. Naruto looked surprised. "What?"

"I just didn't expect you to, that's all," Naruto said defensively. "I mean why would you have a key to the apartment of your brother that you hate?"

"A few months ago he went on a business trip, just for a weekend, which I suspect was just him making shit up while he booked into a spa, but he insisted I water his bonsai tree and gave me the key for that," Sasuke grumbled. Naruto looked amused.

"A bonsai tree? Itachi has a bonsai tree?"

"No," Sasuke said sourly. "There was no bonsai tree," at Naruto's confused look he elaborated. "I did go use the key, with the intention of stealing some of his things. There wasn't a bonsai tree."

"So why did he tell you to water it if it wasn't there?" Naruto asked, bewildered. Sasuke gave him a wry smile.

"That's just Itachi," he said shortly. "He's always thought I was fun to mess with." The call connected to the answering machine and Sasuke redialled again. The elevator doors opened smoothly onto a black and white, minimally decorated but undeniably expensive-looking hallway.

Sasuke strode down the hallway and Naruto followed and nearly tripped when Sasuke abruptly stopped outside one of the doors. Sasuke knocked twice and then pulled out his keys, flipping through until he came to the correct one. He twisted his neck to prop his phone between his shoulder and his head, snarling angrily when the phone went through to answer phone and speaking this time.

"Itachi, if you're there, I'm coming in," he said bluntly, turning the key in the lock and pushing the door open, stepping inside.

The apartment was dimly lit, the large window on one side of the room mostly covered up by a horizontal blind that had been pulled over halfway down, letting through a thick blinding line of evening sunshine at the bottom. It was a large apartment, as large as Sasuke's own, with a kitchen area to the left, a living area with a closed door that led presumably to the bedroom. There was a large bookcase dominating one wall, and a record player set up next to it. From the answer machine set on a low table in the corner, Sasuke heard his voice echoed as they stepped in, and disconnected the call.

Most obvious though, was that Itachi wasn't there.

The air had a musty feel to it, and there was a fine layer of dust on every surface, the motes lifted into the air when the door had opened were visible in the light. It was completely quiet, no noise transferring through the windows from the outside world, and only the sound of their footsteps inside the apartment. Sasuke stepped in properly, Naruto behind him, and looked around, frowning. Barring the layer of dust, the apartment was completely tidy, as Sasuke would expect from his brother. The cleanliness immediately drew attention to the only out of place things in the apartment, and Sasuke unconsciously stepped closer.

The lounge area held a black sofa, and a low glossy black coffee table in front of it, the only surface which had anything out of order on it. As Sasuke drew closer, his eyebrows pulled together as he recognised the objects.

There were two wine bottles, one standing, the other on its side, and as Sasuke stepped closer, he could make out an uneven shape where some of the wine had dried on the table. As well as that, there were two small brown bottles with white labels, the medicinal kind that could be either prescribed or bought over the counter. Both bottles were capless, with a sprinkling of small oblong tablets around them.

"Oh fuck..." Naruto said from behind him, having noticed the same thing and drawn the obvious conclusion. He glanced nervously at Sasuke, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" Sasuke shrugged the hand off, tsking at Naruto.

"I'm fine," he said shortly, taking a step closer to the table and tilting his head as he surveyed the scene. Like everything else, the surface of the table was covered in dust. Not thickly, but enough to suggest disuse. Considering, Sasuke lifted the standing bottle and looked back at the table, before nodding, satisfied.

"Sasuke..." Naruto started again, watching his strange action. "What-"

"It's not real," Sasuke said, turning to look at him and watching the blue eyes widen.

"But...it looks like-" Naruto started apprehensively. Sasuke shook his head and lifted the bottle he was still holding before gesturing to the table.

"Look at the table," he instructed. Naruto gave him another concerned look, but glanced at the table.

"What about it?" he asked warily.

"What do you see?" Sasuke asked, looking at the table himself. Naruto frowned, tearing his eyes away from Sasuke and scrutinising the table.

"It's... a table," he started, glancing at Sasuke for confirmation. "A black table."

"Very good," Sasuke drawled, both irritated and amused. "What's on it."

"Uh, wine bottles, pills bottles..." Naruto trailed off, licking his lips nervously. Sasuke ignored him.

"What else?"

"I don't know," Naruto said frowning, eyes on the table. "A little wine. Lots of dust."

"Exactly," Sasuke said, lifting the other wine bottle in his free hand. "The table is covered in dust just like everything else here."

"So?" Naruto asked, bewildered.

"So, why was there dust under the wine bottles?" Sasuke asked, raising his eyebrows. A light of understanding flickered on Naruto's face, so he continued. "If the wine bottles were here the last time Itachi was here, there would be a circle of clear space underneath them. But there isn't."

"So the bottles were put there later," Naruto said, catching on. He frowned. "How did you know to look under the bottles?"

"Itachi has a terrible tolerance for alcohol," Sasuke revealed with a wry smile. "He never drinks." He paused, the smile falling from his face. "Not many people know that. But it means that this," he waved a hand at the table, "isn't real."

"Then, what's going on?" Naruto asked, eyeing the tablets on the table warily. Sasuke shrugged and fell back onto the couch.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Either Itachi set this up, or someone else did. If it was Itachi, he knows I wouldn't believe this. If it was someone else, they want everyone to believe he's dead, it would seem."

"Who else could it be?" Naruto asked. "Madara?"

Sasuke snorted. "I doubt it, he and Itachi are partners. Why would he fake his own employee's death?" He frowned at the thought. "I don't know who else it could have been."

"Maybe there's another clue in here somewhere," Naruto said, looking around.

"Clue to what?" Sasuke asked apathetically from the lounge. "It's just Itachi being a nut job."

"If he set this up, then there must have been a point to it!" Naruto insisted, opening the bedroom door and disappearing inside. Sasuke sighed and dropped his head back on the cushions. Despite having been a first-hand witness to it, Naruto seemed to be having trouble understanding just how crazy Itachi was.

"Hey Sasuke, does Itachi like jigsaw puzzles?" Naruto called from the bedroom, his voice slightly faint. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Yes Naruto, he adores them. He does a three million piece every Wednesday," he drawled.

"Oh," Naruto sounded disappointed, perking Sasuke's curiosity. He sat up and leaned forward.

"Why?"

"Aw nothing," Naruto called back through the open door. "I just found one and thought it seemed out of place."

"What?" Sasuke frowned, standing and walking into the bedroom. It was decorated in black and red, very Itachi colours. There was a low king sized bed in the middle that Naruto was sat upon, a wall of built in wardrobes and a wooden set of drawers. Nothing looked out of place, except Naruto. "Jigsaw puzzles?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, holding up a narrow box. "Funny, I wouldn't have thought he would like them."

"He doesn't, I don't think he has ever touched a jigsaw puzzle in his life," Sasuke said, sitting next to Naruto and taking the box.

"But you said-"

"I was lying," Sasuke said, turning the box over in his hands. The front said it was a one hundred piece that made up a typical countryside scene. "There is no way that Itachi actually owns this. Where did you find it?

"Behind the door," Naruto said, pointing to the still open door. Sasuke looked at him, bewildered.

"Why were you looking behind the door?"

Naruto looked defensive. "You try growing up in a childrens' home! You don't want to know how many times I had to play hide and seek with the kids." Sasuke suspected that Naruto probably volunteered to play hide and seek, and if Sasuke suggested they have a game now, it wouldn't take much convincing. Naruto seemed to sense Sasuke's disbelief, as he quickly changed the subject. "Why is this here then, if it's not his?"

"Maybe it is his," Sasuke suggested, opening it up and looking at the pieces inside. "Maybe he bought it specifically for this?" It had been behind the door. As children, when Sasuke had been able to convince his brother to play hide and seek with him, he had always hidden behind the door, to Sasuke's irritation, and then slipped out and ran for den while Sasuke searched the room.

"Like a clue?!" Naruto asked excitedly, clearly imagining himself as a Sherlock Holmes type of character.

"Just to confuse me, no doubt," Sasuke corrected. Naruto stuck his bottom lip out a little, shifting on the bed so he could look at the jigsaw Sasuke was holding.

"Has it ever occurred to you that Itachi might be in real trouble?" he asked seriously, eyes locking with Sasuke who felt the faint stirring of guilt in his gut and quickly crushed it, he didn't owe Itachi anything.

"Why would he be in trouble?" he said instead.

"He's gotta have enemies," Naruto reasoned earnestly. Sasuke frowned and looked away.

"So what? So what if he's in danger and needs my help? He doesn't deserve anything from me," he said darkly, fixing his eyes on a spot of dark wallpaper. "He killed my parents, he's been lying this whole time, he works for the Akatsuki and he's been giving them money from our company!"

"I know that," Naruto said, tugging his shoulder to make Sasuke turn back to him. Naruto was looking at his lap, pale lashes hiding his eyes, leaving just a glimpse of bright blue beneath them. "I know you said you hated him, when I asked you before." He looked up, determined. "But I don't believe it. Even if you hate him a little bit, you wouldn't want something bad to happen to him."

"That's not true," Sasuke argued. "You don't know how much I hate him. He ruined my life."

"Then why didn't you go to the police?" Naruto asked, just as fierce. "It's true that I don't know what you've been through, but if you had wanted Itachi to suffer, you could have done it easily."

"That was _before_," Sasuke snarled, angry that Naruto thought he had any right to talk about this. Naruto shook his head.

"Bullshit, then why did you want to come here instead of just calling the police and getting your revenge like that? Face it Sasuke, you wanted to give him a chance to explain himself." Naruto glared, breathing harshly. Sasuke swallowed, aware of the proximity and his joint desire to punch Naruto and remove the small distance.

Sasuke stayed still for a few seconds, his eyes locked with Naruto's, reading the emotions he saw there as clear as day. Determination at the forefront. Tenacity, concern. Then trust, friendship, and was that-

"There's nothing we can do anyway," he said, pulling his eyes away and focusing back on the box in his hands. "We don't know where he is and there's no way for us to find out."

"We could start by doing the jigsaw puzzle," Naruto suggested, taking the box from his suddenly limp grip. Sasuke's lips quirked.

"Revisiting your childhood, Naruto?" he asked, suddenly feeling like the half confession had taken a weight off his shoulders.

"_No_," Naruto said, apparently offended. "It might give us a clue. The finished picture I mean."

Sasuke gave him a bemused look. "We can just look on the front for that." Naruto hit his arm with a little more force than necessary.

"I know that, I'm not an idiot," he said, ignoring Sasuke's sceptical look. "The pieces in the box are for a different puzzle."

"What?" Sasuke asked, taking the box and looking inside. After glancing from the box's lid to its contents a few times, he realised that Naruto was right. The pieces were all small, and there were more than a hundred. They seemed to be different colours than just the shades of green and blue shown on the box. "You noticed?" Naruto didn't quite meet his eye, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"I did a lot of jigsaw puzzles as a kid," he admitted. Despite everything, Sasuke couldn't help himself and let out a little laugh, covering his mouth. He felt something around his wrist and saw that Naruto was holding it, pulling his hand away from his mouth. "What?" Sasuke asked, somewhat breathlessly.

"If you cover your mouth, no one can see you smile," Naruto muttered, tugging at Sasuke's hand, pulling it down as he leant across to cover Sasuke's mouth with his own.

When he pulled back a few moments later, Sasuke looked at Naruto in surprise. "You kissed me." He sounded ridiculous, he knew, but couldn't manage to compose a better sentence than that.

"Ah, yeah, I did," Naruto said, looking nervous, although the hand that wasn't wrapped around Sasuke's wrist was resting lightly on his jaw.

"Why?" Sasuke asked. He could make a fairly accurate guess at this point, but wanted to be sure.

"It was a sort of, in the moment thing," Naruto managed, his palm warm against Sasuke's cheek.

"I see," Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Do you think you might have another moment?" He felt Naruto's grip on his wrist adjust a little, then as if decided, tighten.

"I, uhm, might," Naruto said, the hesitance in his voice counterpoint to the confident movement of his fingertips, moving to tangle in Sasuke's hair. "I think it's a recurring moment." He faltered slightly. "I mean, w-what do you think?" Sasuke wasn't actually sure what they were talking about. His attention kept being caught by the way Naruto's eyes flicked down to his lips and then quickly back up, as though he was scared of being caught looking.

"Could be," he managed to mumble, feeling light headed, a detached part of him wondering where his cool facade had gotten too. He could feel each of Naruto's breaths as puffs of air against his mouth; surely kissing Sakura hadn't been like this. Swallowing, he shifted his weight slightly and felt the bed creak, snapping him out of it. Bed, creaking, Itachi's bed.

He stood quickly, almost losing his balance in his haste but managing to avoid stumbling. Scattered, he smoothed down his shirt, shifted to adjust his suit jacket, feeling awfully warm all of a sudden. "The jigsaw," he said.

"The....jigsaw?" Naruto queried, looking lost, his hand frozen in the air that Sasuke's head had just vacated.

"Let's do the jigsaw," Sasuke said, composing himself and cursing the fact that it sounded like he was asking Naruto to do a complicated, colloquial dance with him. "In the lounge." He turned and walked out briskly seating himself on the sofa and waiting for Naruto to follow. Inwardly, he cursed the fact that Itachi had a poor tolerance for alcohol; he could really use a drink.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

Sorry about the fake update! That was an accident. The real chapter is now up!!! Enjoy it!

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

Into The Woods

Whether he was out of practice or simply distracted, Naruto wasn't sure. All he knew was that he had definitely used to be much better at jigsaws than this. True, the selection at the children's home hadn't been overly challenging, a lot of them only having around twenty pieces so as to be accessible to the younger kids, but Naruto felt he had reached a high level of skill by the time he left. He had been much faster than Haku certainly.

However, from the way that Sasuke was quickly and adeptly picking up, considering and placing the pieces, while Naruto tried the same one again and again in different positions, Naruto was starting to wonder if maybe Haku had just not been trying.

They had settled on the floor in the living room, making the jigsaw puzzle on the coffee table. While Sasuke was perched on the edge of the sofa, leaning forward to see properly, Naruto was seated on the floor with his legs folded under him, the arm that wasn't actively trying to solve the puzzle rested on the table, with his chin on top of it.

He would admit however, that part of the reason he wasn't quite as speedy as Sasuke who moved like a jigsaw solving machine, was that he _was_ distracted. While Sasuke appeared to be entirely focused on the pieces in front of him, despite his previous words of apathy towards the scheme, Naruto was having trouble keeping his eyes on the puzzle.

He had _kissed_ him. On the lips! The thought was incredibly childish and made Naruto feel like he was ten, spreading a rumour in the school playground, but it was true! And Sasuke had kissed back, Naruto thought, at least for a second, before he stood up and ran out of the room. But Naruto was confident that the running out of the room was more to do with embarrassment rather than repulsion. The thought occurring, he sent up a little prayer that it had _nothing_ to do with repulsion, and then wondered why _he_ wasn't repulsed.

Naruto's first kiss was of course Haku. When he was twelve, and they were in another temporary school, a rumour had gone round that one of the boys hadn't even kissed someone yet. Panicked, naive enough to believe that everyone else _had_ Naruto had insisted that Haku helped him out.

"Please Haku! I don't want to be the last one to have kissed someone!" he had whined, scowling at the floor.

"You wont be," Haku had assured him. "Besides, even if you were, no one would know."

"I bet they would! I think some of them can read minds!"

And so it had transpired that for a few weeks, Naruto had borrowed Haku's mouth, first to ensure he wouldn't be discovered by the mind reading pro-kissers of the school, and then to practice, when he realised just how bad he was.

After that, Naruto had kissed a few girls, one or two at school, and later a few that Zabuza sent his way. Kissing, sex, even, weren't unfamiliar things to him, far from it. But the kiss with Sasuke seemed a bit different. Maybe because he was a man...Haku was male too of course, but it was much easier to pretend with him. With Sasuke, Naruto had no desire to pretend he was really kissing a generously curved goddess, and couldn't have if he wanted to. Naruto cast a sly glance at Sasuke who had paused and was trying to move the half completed puzzle across the table a little. Sasuke didn't seem to mind that he was a guy either. If he had, Naruto would probably be cradling his jaw right now, instead of solving a children's puzzle.

Still, it was difficult to work out what was going on in his head. What normal person kissed a guy, and then said nothing for the next half hour except 'your elbow is on the top corner piece,'? Naruto was practically itching with the need to do _something_. Would Sasuke punch him if he tried to kiss him now?

"We're probably destroying a crime scene," Sasuke said suddenly, neatly placing a piece along the right hand side.

"What?" Naruto asked dumbly, head perking up a little.

"The flat," Sasuke explained, his eyes on the table. "Ruining all the evidence. The police wont be pleased."

"You're going to call the police?" Naruto asked, curious. He hadn't considered that, envisioning them solving the mystery themselves.

Sasuke nodded. "They'll find out anyway, and no doubt we've left our marks all over here. If we don't say anything, we'll become the number one suspects when they do discover it." He glanced at Naruto's pensive expression. "Why? Are you worried they'll take the opportunity to arrest you?"

"Arrest me for what?!" Naruto asked, wide-eyed. Sasuke shrugged, a smile showing in his eyes.

"You tell me, I thought you were the criminal extraordinaire," he teased lightly. Naruto relaxed even while he scowled, feeling the atmosphere become less stiff.

"Huh, as if the police would arrest me," he scoffed. He tilted his head up at Sasuke, sobering a little. "It's not like I actually do anything major."

Sasuke nodded. "I see, just blackmail, breaking and entering, that sort of thing?" Naruto's scowl deepened and he lazily attempted to hit Sasuke, but missed.

"Hey, you know I was desperate," he pouted, ducking his head a little. Sasuke's mouth twisted downwards at the reminder.

"Yes, I know," he said distantly, picking up another jigsaw piece and turning it in his hands.

"'Sides, the police'd _never_ arrest me!" Naruto said, cheerful again. "I've been pulled over like, a million, billion times, and they never even give me a ticket!"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "That's lucky."

"It's my winning personality, and gorgeous appearance," Naruto confided seriously. "No one can bear to upset me."

"Strange that they're not put off by your obnoxious mannerisms," Sasuke commented quietly, smirking at Naruto's appalled expression.

"My mannerisms are charming," Naruto sniffed. He sat back and felt something dig into his leg, looking down to see his phone peeking out of the pocket. "Do you mind if I make a few calls?" he asked Sasuke, deciding that it would be a good point to call Sai and let him know he was fine and hadn't been abducted or gotten stuck in a painful position after attempting to copulate with his motorbike.

"It's your phone, do what you like," Sasuke said, his attention back on the jigsaw. Shrugging, Naruto thumbed through his phonebook until he came to Sai's number. The phone rang a few times, then connected.

"Hey dickless," Sai's voice was cheerful. Naruto's slight guilt about not calling his friend disappeared.

"I have a penis!" He shouted down the phone, cursing himself as he noticed Sasuke's look of surprise and then amusement."Stop saying that," he continued, quieter. "You dress like a mime."

"Are you trying to convince me, yourself, or Sasuke?" Sai wanted to know. It took restraint not to just slam down the phone.

"I'm not trying to convince anyone," he snarled, turning away slightly as though to prevent Sasuke from hearing the conversation.

"Good, because no one is convinced," Sai replied.

"I am calling," Naruto said, changing the topic abruptly and taking on a lofty, I-am-better-than-this-conversation tone, "to tell you that I am fine, and there is no need to worry."

"We weren't worried," Sai said happily. Naruto frowned at the wording.

"We?"

"Myself and Miss Haruno."

"Sakura?"

"Yes," Sai confirmed.

"Sakura's there?"

"No, not now."

"But she was there?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Where is 'there'?" Sai wanted to know.

"'There' is the place that you are or you were," Naruto said, hoping it made sense.

"I am not sure what we are talking about," Sai confessed. "I saw Sakura yesterday outside your flat and then we went for chicken."

"Chicken?"

"The fried kind. I think Sakura was trying to increase her chest size by eating lots of calories. She would know, she's a doctor," Sai informed him helpfully.

"Hey! Sakura has a perfect figure!" Naruto interceded, defending his friend and very certainly not looking at Sasuke.

"It's true, she is slim, but her subtle curves do have an appeal to them," Sai admitted.

"Stop looking at Sakura's boobs!" Naruto exclaimed. "It's wrong! Wrong! You stay away from Sakura, y'hear?" He shouted the last part down the phone before angrily hanging up.

"Sakura's boobs, huh?" Sasuke said from behind him.

"That's none of your business!" Naruto snapped, glaring at Sasuke over his shoulder. "And that was a private phone call!" Sasuke said nothing, just smirked maddeningly and went back to the jigsaw. Naruto scowled at him for a few moments, but was ignored. He searched for another number in his phone.

"Hi, you've reached my voicemail," Haku's familiar message played cheerfully, indicating that the phone was off. "If this is Naruto, your keys are where you always leave them, in the ramen cupboard. If this is Zabuza, _your_ keys are where _you_ always leave them, on the windowsill. If you are not Naruto or Zabuza, or if you are, and you have a different question, please leave a message after the beep." It was strange that Haku's phone was off, normally he was obsessed with things like always having your phone on, charged and credited so they could contact each other in the case of an emergency, going so far as to charge _Naruto's_ phone if he forgot to. Given the circumstances, however, it was expected that a little thing like remembering to keep his phone on might have fallen through. Unfortunately, Naruto didn't have a home phone, using his mobile for all his calls (which wasn't much) instead of having to pay line rental, so he was forced to leave a message.

Naruto waited for a second before the tone played. "Hey Haku," he started, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Listen, I'm gonna be busy for...um," he glanced at Sasuke who wasn't looking at him, and then turned back, "I'm not sure, a while. Maybe a few days? I'll call again, but if you don't see me, don't worry! I mean, I can take care of myself, you know. Even though you think I can't..." Naruto frowned, he could _so_ take care of himself. "And, remember to eat! Don't just drink tea like a weird tea drinking machine because...because... it'll stain your teeth!" That was ridiculous, because Haku had drunk four cups of tea a day since they were kids, and his teeth were the whitest of anyone Naruto knew. Probably the ten minutes he spent brushing and flossing. "And, also, because you need other food! Like that page in our bio textbook about a balanced diet, with the pictures of the fish and the cow and stuff. But I mean, you don't have to eat those, since you're a vegetarian, but you should have other stuff! Like, uhm, grain! And wheat! And beans! And oh fruit!" Naruto paused, wondering if he should add any more food suggestions. "Also, remember to sleep, your body needs rest and stuff, like you told me that time that I drank all that Doctor Pepper and didn't sleep for two days. Remember? So don't do that! But don't sleep too much either, and not in the middle of the day, 'cause you know it feels crap when you fall asleep in the middle of the day and you wake up and your mouth feels crappy-" Naruto cut off as he heard the dial tone and stared at the phone abruptly.

"Voicemail generally cuts off after a minute or so," Sasuke remarked casually, as Naruto looked as though he was taking it as a personal offense. Then again, it wasn't the first time.

"I know that," Naruto muttered, huffing and putting his phone back in his pocket. He sat back down on the floor next to the sofa. "How's it going?"

"Not bad, I can't tell what it is yet though," Sasuke said, leaning forward to look at the puzzle.

"Stop hunching like that, you look like an old man," Naruto scolded. "You'll become a hunchback! Like in the Disney film!"

"I really wont," Sasuke said, but straightened up all the same, and then sighed. "Now I can't reach the pieces."

"That's because you're sitting up there," Naruto said, shaking his head sadly and tugging at Sasuke's sleeve. "Come down here." Sasuke looked as though the idea of sitting on the floor was blasphemous. "What?"

"Naruto," Sasuke said slowly, resisting being pulled off the sofa, "this suit costs more than the average man makes in a year."

"That's nice," Naruto said sincerely. "Sit." He gave a particularly hard tug, and betrayed by the slipper leather of the sofa, Sasuke ended up on the floor. "There!"

He frowned, rearranging his limbs so he was a little more comfortable, then fixed Naruto with a sly look. "If you wanted to be close to me so desperately, you could have sat on the sofa too, you know."

"Hey! That's not- It's better to sit closer!" Naruto stuttered out, looking cornered. "It's not like that!"

"So you don't want to be close to me?" Sasuke asked, eyes shuttered.

"N- I do-" Naruto frowned, glaring at him. "You're a difficult person to talk to." Sasuke shrugged and looked away casually. "Hey." He poked Sasuke's arm.

"What?"

"What is this?" Naruto asked, gesturing between them. "Us."

"We're doing a jigsaw puzzle," Sasuke explained. "Well, I'm doing a jigsaw puzzle. You haven't put a piece in for the last five minutes."

"I did too!" Naruto said, pointing to an area to the right, "what about that one!"

"That didn't fit Naruto, I had to take it out," Sasuke said patronisingly.

"Look, can I kiss you or not?" Naruto blurted out, leaning forwards slightly as he waited for the answer. Sasuke looked momentarily surprised.

"You're very blunt, aren't you," Sasuke said after a moment.

"That's not an answer," Naruto said, glaring. Sasuke turned a little so that he was facing Naruto properly. The sun had set a while ago, and they were using a lamp to see by, so his features were oddly shadowed.

" What will you do if I say yes?" Sasuke asked, coming from a different direction. Naruto considered for half a second.

" Kiss you," he said promptly. Sasuke nodded slightly.

"And if I say no?"

Naruto considered for another half second. "Probably kiss you anyway." He leaned in a fraction more.

"It sounds like it doesn't make any difference how I answer," Sasuke murmured lightly, eyes flickering from Naruto's eyes to his lips.

Naruto let out a sigh, locking eyes with Sasuke. "You're an ass, you know that?"

"I know," Sasuke managed to get out, before Naruto kissed him again. Their mouths met, soft and hesitant, parting before joining again, bolder this time. Naruto turned slightly, leaning across Sasuke with his weight on one arm to get a better angle, to get closer. Sasuke released something that might have been a sigh as Naruto tilted his head, raising his free hand to gently touch the other man's jaw. After a few moments of slow, dizzying kisses, Naruto pulled back, watching as Sasuke opened hazy eyes. The urge to go further, to press closer and eliminate any distance between them, to kiss and touch and immerse himself in feeling was strong, but this was neither the time or place.

"You're driving me crazy," Naruto whispered against Sasuke's mouth, making him roll his eyes at the cheesy line.

"Idiot," Sasuke said, eyes warm. Five minutes later, as they turned their attention back to the jigsaw puzzle, Naruto was still smiling.

*

"I think this jigsaw puzzle is actually an intricate form of torture," Sasuke remarked dryly, rubbing a frustrated hand through his hair.

"I think that I remember being better at these," Naruto said sadly, looking at the still not completed jigsaw puzzle. "'M tired."

"Me too," Sasuke admitted with a defeated sigh. He looked at Naruto, only to find Naruto was looking at him. Sasuke raised one eyebrow quizzically and Naruto blushed slightly and looked away. "Should we call it a night?"

"I guess so," Naruto said, frowning at the jigsaw as though upset at being beaten by it. "We have had a long day."

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed, thinking back to the revelations the day had brought. "We should rest."

Naruto looked around, distinctly unkeen on the idea of driving back. "Wanna stay here? It's kinda weird but..."

"Might as well," Sasuke acquiesced, standing up and stretching.

"Uh, you can have the bed," Naruto said awkwardly, not mentioning that it was a king sized that they could easily share.

"It's fine," Sasuke waved his hand absently. "I'll take the couch. It's weird to sleep in Itachi's bed anyway."

"It's weirder for me," Naruto pointed out. "I'll take the recliner." Sasuke shrugged and walked into the bedroom. Naruto took the opportunity to do some kitchen based investigation but found that the fridge, was bare. The cupboards were filled but there was no ramen. He was giving the fridge a second go when Sasuke walked back in.

"Don't bother, Itachi would never leave any perishables. The idea of them rotting in his fridge would make him have a seizure," Sasuke remarked from the lounge. Naruto turned, closing the fridge, to see Sasuke was holding two blankets and pillows, pilled on top of each other. He dumped one of each onto the recliner, and then the remaining two onto the sofa, having pushed the coffee table out of the way.

"Hey thanks," Naruto said, moving to his recliner and unfolding the blanket. It was thin, so he wouldn't get hot, and smelt clean, like soap powder.

"The pillow is so you don't drool on the leather," Sasuke said, unfolding his own blanket.

"Hey! I don't drool!" Naruto retorted, toeing off his trainers and glancing at Sasuke to make sure the other wasn't looking, before stripping down to his boxers and laying back in the recliner, blanket on top of him.

He shifted around, folding the blanket so that he had it against his skin, rather than leather, listening to Sasuke move, presumably undressing, and trying very hard not to imagine what it must look like, or sit up so that he could see for himself.

"I'm turning the light out," Sasuke warned after a few minutes.

"Fine," Naruto said, having just found a comfortable position. There was a click as the light disappeared, leaving them in relative darkness.

"Hey Naruto," Sasuke said suddenly, causing Naruto to open his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"What's your surname?"

Naruto frowned in the dark, finding it difficult to talk without seeing a face. "Uzumaki, you know that."

"Is it your family name?" Sasuke asked. Naruto frowned unintentionally, realising why Sasuke had waited until the lights were off to bring it up.

"I don't know," Naruto said honestly, after a second, then trying to answer the question he was sure Sasuke was really asking. "I never knew my parents, if that's what you mean."

There was a pause. "It's okay if you don't want to talk-"

"It's fine," Naruto cut him off, perhaps a little brusquely, and then laughed to try and lighten the conversation. "I...don't really know if it's their name or not. I don't know who they are at all. I was taken into care straight from the hospital."

"From the hospital?" Naruto thought he could hear the confusion in Sasuke's voice.

"Yup, whoever my mom was, I guess she fled the scene and neglected to take the baby," Naruto said lightly, trying not to let how much the information affected him transfer into his tone. So many nights he had lain awake wondering just what kind of people his parents had been to abandon him in the hospital.

"But surely your birth certificate must have said?" Sasuke asked. Naruto shrugged, then realised Sasuke couldn't see him.

"There wasn't one."

"What? There must have been."

"It wasn't in the hospital," Naruto said flatly. "I was an impossible case, no paperwork, no records, nothing. None of the staff remembered seeing me, which was ridiculous because I was only a few hours old."

"No one?" Sasuke asked.

"It's busy in a hospital, the staff are always changing. And paperwork sometimes gets mixed up. I was just unlucky." Naruto tried to sound factual and unaffected by his own words, he didn't want Sasuke to think he was weak. Afterall, Sasuke had been through a lot of problems of his own. That notwithstanding, no records and no parents, that was more than unlucky. It was as though he'd just appeared in the world, with no ties or identity.

"And Uzumaki?"

"That was the name embroidered onto my blanket, 'Naruto Uzumaki.' They assumed it must be my name, although it didn't match the records of anyone that had been in during the last year." Naruto closed his eyes as he thought of the next part of the story. He was glad to have been so young and to have no concept of what was going on. If he had been older, every day that passed without word of a lost child reaching him would have been torture. Really, he had been fortunate to experience it so early. When he was younger, he didn't properly understand the concept of parents and thought that the adults he saw around children were merely their guardians, like his.

"And you didn't get fostered?"

"No," Naruto said frankly, not elaborating. He didn't want to discuss his failed attempts at being fostered, how lonely his life had been until he met Haku.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?" Naruto asked, trying not to sound irritated.

"Thanks for coming."

Naruto smiled at the unexpected comment. "You're welcome. Night, Sasuke."


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

Thanks for the reviews :) You guys rule, and make posting this a lot of fun.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

**Into The Woods**

Despite his precautions, when Naruto awoke he could feel his right side sticking uncomfortably to the leather, and it took him a few disorientated seconds to understand where he was. He squinted one eye open and found himself lying on his stomach, face turned to one side in a way that made him sure his neck would ache when he moved it. The part of his eyesight that wasn't blocked by a close up of the recliner identified Sasuke, hand poised over him. Sasuke stepped back once he noticed Naruto had opened his eyes, apparently having woken him up.

"The puzzle's finished," Sasuke said, waiting for Naruto to sit up and then giving him a glass of orange juice. Naruto greedily drank it down, his mouth was extremely dry, then frowned.

"Itachi likes pulp?"

Sasuke shook his head. "There's no food here. I went to the shop to get something for breakfast." Naruto nodded.

"Right, thanks," he said, taking another sip of the juice and trying to get used to the weird feeling. Why couldn't Sasuke drink smooth, like the rest of the world? "You finished the puzzle?" Naruto asked, putting the now empty glass down and rubbing his face, trying to reconnect with being awake.

"Yeah, I woke before you," Sasuke said, taking the glass and moving to the kitchen. Naruto heard the sound of running water, suggesting he was washing up.

The blinds had been opened so that the apartment was filled with morning sunshine, making the signs of neglect more obvious than the night before.

"What was the picture?" Naruto asked, shifting to get off the recliner, causing the blanket to fall too.

"See for yourself," Sasuke replied from the kitchen, gesturing to the coffee table. Naruto went a little closer and saw that the jigsaw was now finished, with no extra pieces or gaps. It was a very complicated type, as they had discovered yesterday, not only having many very small pieces, but the overall picture was complicated, creating many different shapes and colours which was why they had experienced so much trouble with it.

The finished jigsaw had a picture of a tropical landscape. There were lots of trees, birds, animals and insects. Altogether, it made an interesting picture, but nothing that Naruto would have expected to see since it gave no information whatsoever.

"That's weird," Naruto said flatly when Sasuke joined him in considering the jigsaw.

"Itachi _is_ weird," Sasuke said. "Why?"

"Uhm, I'm not sure," Naruto said, tilting his head in contemplation and half wishing he hadn't been so insistent on them doing the jigsaw, since he couldn't make much out of it. "I just feel like I've seen it before. Actually, I've definitely seen it before. We had one like this in the home. I think I did it with one of the kids once." Naruto didn't mention how embarrassing it was that a puzzle he had done as a child had given him so much trouble. "It must be a coincidence, right?"

"I don't know what to think.," Sasuke admitted, taking a seat on the couch. "I can't see any other connection. I would chalk it up to mind games, but I've been remembering some things."

"Remembering?" Naruto asked, ruffling his hair out of its sleeping position.

"Yes," Sasuke said, deep in thought. "Before Itachi disappeared, he'd been acting strangely, stranger than usual, I mean," he amended. "I ignored it as typical Itachi being a freak, but too many things aren't adding up." Sasuke frowned rubbing a hand over his eyes and looking weary. "Nothing's changed, but I need to find him, and if following his ridiculous trail is what it takes, then so be it."

Naruto nodded, his eyes serious. "Alright." While this little mystery was something of an adventure to him, the whole thing seemed to be taking its toll on Sasuke. It must be difficult to have so many conflicting emotions, Naruto realised. "So what d'ya wanna do?"

"I'm going to head back to the office, it's a weekend so it should be empty. There are a couple of things I want to check up on," Sasuke said, before turning to Naruto. "You don't have to come."

"Right, and how are you gonna get there? Hitch hike? We came on my bike, remember?" Naruto said. "'Sides, I'm sure you'll need me for something or other."

"Fine," Sasuke said shortly. "Get dressed then, eat, and we'll leave." Naruto was half way through nodding when the words permeated his brain, and he looked down in shock to discover he was clad in nothing but boxers. He made a noise caught somewhere between a 'meep' and a 'aargh' before grabbing his clothes and running into the bedroom, ignoring the sound of Sasuke laughing.

*

They left the apartment as they had found it, as well as they could manage. Sasuke decided it was in their best interests to let the police think it was a case of alcohols and pills overdose, since if they suspected foul play they might search the apartment more thoroughly. If they found traces of Sasuke being there, it wasn't a problem, since as brothers it would be acceptable. However if Naruto had left any signs of his passing, he would become suspected. Bearing that in mind, he found anywhere that Naruto could have left prints and left his own on top, assuming that it would make them unreadable. He would have preferred to just wipe the surfaces down, and then vacuum to catch any stray hairs, but it would look strange to the police if the apartment had been recently cleaned. The less suspicion that fell on them, the better.

It probably would have been smarter if they had simply taken the jigsaw puzzle and left, but it was too late to amend that, and they would just have to hope.

They left a little before noon, and Naruto drove Sasuke to the police station to make a statement. Sasuke's apartment was fairly close to the station, so he intended to walk back to his apartment and then take a taxi to the office.

" You sure you don't want me to come in with you?" Naruto asked for the umpteenth time as they pulled to a stop outside the station. Sasuke slid off quickly, not particularly enjoying how vulnerable he felt on the back of a motorbike.

"It's fine," he said, tugging off the helmet and trying to unflatten his hair with his free hand. "It'll be quicker and easier if just I go alone."

"Alright," Naruto agreed, scrunching his nose, having taken the helmet off to speak to Sasuke. "I'm gonna go home, I'll meet you back in the office?"

"Sure," Sasuke said with a nod. "If I'm not in my office, I'll be in the archives. That's in the basement."

"Got it," Naruto said with a nod. "I'll swing by around three?"

"Sounds fine," Sasuke replied, handing back the helmet. Naruto twisted to secure it, before glancing back at Sasuke, licking his lips nervously. "I'll see you then."

"Wait." Naruto's hand grabbed onto Sasuke's wrist, stopping him from moving away. Sasuke turned back, looked from his captured risk to Naruto, and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Naruto said nothing, just tugged slightly, forcing Sasuke to move towards him. When he got closer, Naruto dropped his wrist and quickly transferred his grip to the tie Sasuke wore, pulling it down so that he could kiss him. There was no one around, and even if someone saw them, so what? Naruto thought stubbornly, tilting his head to deepen the kiss.

"Moron," Sasuke said, when then broke apart, ignoring the sad sound Naruto made. He kissed him again, just lips pressed against lips, but the fact that Sasuke initiated the gesture made Naruto's mouth curve up into a smile as Sasuke drew back, adjusting his tie with a glare at Naruto.

"I'll see you later?" Naruto said, grinning and jamming his helmet back on.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, lifting a hand and turning around. "Later."

*

Surprisingly, the apartment was empty when Naruto got in. Everything was exactly as he had seen it yesterday, even Haku's bowl was where he had left it in the drainer.

"Hello?" Naruto called out, already knowing instinctively that there was no one there. Frowning, he dropped his keys, helmet and jacket, and checked the bedroom. The bed was neatly made, but empty, like the rest of the flat. "Huh." Naruto supposed that Haku had gone out, which must have been a good thing.

Shrugging, thinking that maybe Haku had decided to go to work, or just take a walk, Naruto dropped his things and headed for the shower.

While under the warm water, Naruto considered what a strange twist his life had taken. He would never have thought just a few months ago while he complained to Haku about having to wear eyeliner that his life would change so abruptly. This Sasuke thing...He fought back a grin, and then just gave in and smiled inanely at the shampoo bottle. It was new, and a bit strange, but very good. He wasn't sure how long he had wanted this from Sasuke, he hadn't realised he had wanted it until about five seconds _after_ he kissed him... But the realisation was like nothing he had experienced before.

Did that make him gay, he pondered. Perhaps. Zabuza was probably looking down and laughing at him. Naruto paused, glancing at his surroundings and amended, perhaps not right now. And perhaps not down...

The situation with Itachi was utterly bewildering. Naruto had no idea what it must have been like for the past ten years with Itachi, for his behaviour to have been so erratic that it had taken more than a fake suicide to make Sasuke seriously consider his brother might be in trouble. Naruto was hoping for his own sake that there was more to this than Sasuke's explanation of mind games. If there wasn't, Sasuke wouldn't be pleased that Naruto made him go along with it for so long.

That Sasuke was letting him help meant a lot, since at its core, this was a Uchiha family issue, and he had no place in it. At the same time, Naruto was also glad because he didn't want Sasuke to have to face it on his own, even if he was more than toughened to life by now. Eventually it would probably become obvious that Naruto had no part in the fractured relationship between the brothers, but for now, Naruto was content to help.

It was strange, Naruto thought as he turned off the water and grabbed his orange towel. He would have expected Sasuke to have someone else by his side, but instead Naruto was able to slide into his life effortlessly. Then again, Sasuke wasn't particularly social, and he had just broken up with his fiancée. At that thought, Naruto winced, pausing in toweling himself dry and letting the water droplets remaining on his skin roll downwards and soak the bathmat he stood on. Was he a bad friend for kissing Sasuke only a month after Sakura had left him? But, Naruto thought, recommencing his drying, it wasn't as though he had planned it. It just sort of happened! This was real life, not a fairytale where all moral values could be completely adhered to in the quest for a happy ending.

Happy with the conclusion he had reached, Naruto shook his head to get the excess water from his hair, and set about getting ready.

*

There were no problems with making his statement to the police, except that it took longer than Sasuke had expected. They said they would call him in for questioning, but evidently weren't considering him as a suspect, at least not yet. Sasuke stopped at his apartment to shower and change before taking a taxi to the Uchiha Corp building.

It was the weekend, so for the most part, the building was empty and Sasuke's footsteps echoed as he walked through the lobby and took the elevator to the top floor.

One of the biggest things that was bothering him was that Naruto recognised the jigsaw puzzle that meant nothing to Sasuke. While mulling it over, an errant memory had caught his attention.

_"Kakashi," Sasuke cut him off."What is it? Cut the crap."_

"Language," Kakashi warned, before straightening his posture minutely. "Very well, Itachi wants you to look at the records from before I took over Uchiha Corporations." Sasuke blinked at him.

"Excuse me?" 

The memory had been for the most part ignored, because when he went to confront Itachi about it, he had overheard that phonecall, and then that night he had found Naruto in his apartment and the encounter had pushed away most of his other thoughts while it made room for itself.

He had been angry at the time, but now the incident took on a different light. Since when did Itachi ask him to do menial tasks which could easily be carried out by another employee? Why would Kakashi pass on the message instead of just doing it himself? Why hadn't Itachi just asked him himself? Because Sasuke would have refused more directly? And about what happened after...Surely after sending Kakashi, Itachi would have known that the first thing Sasuke would do would be to come and complain? There was no way that his brother, the genius, would consider Sasuke would smile politely, take the keys Kakashi gave him and then totter off to carry out Itachi's wishes.

The more Sasuke considered it, the more he was coming to a worrying realisation, that events of the past few months hadn't been as arbitrary as he had seen them. They had been leading to something, and as strong as Sasuke's desire to discover the the truth was, a part of him was reluctant, because whatever it was would change things.

Through the mire of confusion, however, the only thing that was clear was that Itachi was the one controlling this, and it made Sasuke feel sick when he realised he didn't know for how long. It was as though he had realised he was within a dream, but he had no understanding of where reality stopped and his dream began. Being so out of control was foreign to him, it made him feel weak; an emotion he hated.

And if Itachi was controlling Sasuke, who was controlling Itachi? Or had he disappeared for his own benefit? Had Itachi set up the apartment like that as a message to Sasuke, or had it been someone else trying to mislead him? The questions buzzed through Sasuke's normally calm and orderly mind as he walked into his office.

Everything was as he had left it yesterday, and he frowned as he saw the documents Kabuto had brought in, rubbing a hand over his face. He'd only woken up a few hours ago and he was already feeling drained.

The keys had been dropped in his top drawer, where everything that he didn't want to deal with went. Sasuke opened the drawer but it was covered with files, most recently the one from Naruto yesterday,but there were various other papers that he removed with a sigh, leaving them on his desk while he rummaged for the keys. He found them and pocketted them, but paused before putting the papers and files back in.

Reaching for a familiar looking one, Sasuke tried to place it and work out why it seemed familiar. _Oh_. It was the file Itachi had given him, that he said might interest him. Was it relevant? Sasuke flipped it open, remembering what little he had gathered from reading it before, only to pause on the first page.

The photo had been there before, he was sure, but he hadn't paid it any attention. Given his situation, there was no way he could ignore it now. Swallowing and trying to place the new nugget of information, Sasuke picked up the file, and slid the others back into his drawer before leaving.

*

One floor below the lobby of the Uchiha Corporation building was the basement. It was there that the records for the company were kept. The elevator opened into a brightly lit square room with a low ceiling, filled by rows upon rows of filing cabinets. Although no security was necessary to enter the room, each of the cabinets were locked, and Kakashi was in charge of the keys. Before Kakashi had taken over the company it was the President that had kept them, but Sasuke had seen no need to relieve their guardian of the role.

It was there that Naruto found Sasuke, the latter looking as though he had only just sat down.  
"Hey!" Naruto said, his voice echoing a little and feeling oddly elated at seeing Sasuke. He was in a fresh shirt and jeans, his hair still slightly damp from the shower, but feeling energetic as opposed to confused and lethargic in the morning. He had brushed his teeth too, taking extra care to even steal a little of Haku's floss, just in case. "Always be prepared" was the Scout motto, and he had never been a scout, but it was still appropriate, and thus he would appropriate it.

Sasuke for some reason had chosen to wear another smart white shirt (Naruto suspected work clothes made up ninety percent of his wardrobe) but was wearing casual grey trousers, which made him look a little more relaxed than usual. He was standing near the entrance in front of a table on which there were three thick books open. The books were black, the fronts printed with the Uchiha logo and the pages were laminated like a catalogue. One of the books was open, presumably the one Sasuke was currently perusing, and a manilla folder was lying next to it.

"Hi," Sasuke greeted, his casual tone at odds with the intense look he fixed Naruto with.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Naruto blinked, eyes wide, his confusion deepening when Sasuke shook his head, amusement replacing the intensity. "Weirdo," Naruto muttered darkly, still smiling. "I brought lunch!" He lifted his arm, causing the plastic bag looped around his wrist to sway slightly.

"It's not ramen is it?" Sasuke asked warily, eyeing the swinging motion of the bag.

"Lesson the first," Naruto started loftily, putting the bag on the table, taking care not to touch the books. "If Naruto Uzumaki gives you ramen, you say 'thank you' and appreciate the deliciousness that has been provided." He pulled out two cartons, glancing at Sasuke with a grin. "But I got Chinese instead."

Sasuke nodded, not realising that he had been hungry. "Thank you."

"How were the police?" Naruto asked, snagging the chow mein for himself and leaving Sasuke the stir fry. It was a little early in the day to be having take out, but Naruto had driven past the restaurant and thought 'why not?'

"As expected," Sasuke said with a shrug.

"Oh wow," Naruto drawled sarcastically. "It's like I was there." Sasuke just smirked. "Did you just get here?"

"About five minutes ago," Sasuke said, then gestured to the books lying on the table. "These are the directories for the records system, I was looking through them."

"Got it," Naruto said, guiding a mouthful of noodles toward his mouth. "So what are we looking for?"

"I'm not sure," Sasuke said, having opened his carton and started eating, using his chopsticks deftly. "About six weeks ago, Itachi sent Kakashi to ask me to look into the records from just before Kakashi took over the company." Sasuke side-stepped the reason _why_ Kakashi took over the company. "Now that I think about it, that was probably the last day I saw him."

"You think he's been missing since then?" Naruto asked, eyebrows raised, the look of concentration somewhat marred by the three noodles hanging from his mouth.

"I'm not sure," Sasuke said. "The weird thing is that even after he started taking time off, he's been emailing."

"Emailing?" Naruto asked, his question slightly obscured by the mouthful he had just taken.

"So at least he's alive?"

"Yes, I suppose," Sasuke said, his brow furrowed. "I thought it could be someone else impersonating him, but Itachi is very conscientious about security, I doubt even your friend could get into his account."

"So it's probably him," Naruto said with a nod. He'd finished eating and perched on the table, swinging his legs and folding the empty carton. "What's he been saying? 'Hey Sasuke, I'm not dead.'?"

Sasuke gave him a dry look. "Not quite. They've all been work related, the usual thing I would expect from him. Patronising and designed to irritate me. He always insinuates that I can't run the company myself and I should ask for help from our uncle."

"Madara," Naruto said with a nod. "That makes sense, since he and Itachi are BFFs."

"What?"

"You know, best friends forever," Naruto said, with a disbelieving look, shaking his head. _"Old man._"

"You sound like a nine year old girl," Sasuke announced blandly. Naruto's answering glare was ignored by Sasuke who continued. "I don't know what to think. On the one hand it could be another...clue," his distaste for the idea was evident in his voice, "but on the other hand, I don't see why Itachi would risk it, since he knows there are very few things I dislike as much as talking to Madara."

"Does it have anything to do with the puzzle?" Naruto asked. Sasuke shook his head slowly.

"Not that I can see."

"Can I see one of the emails?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Sure," Sasuke agreed with a shrug. "I delete them, but he sends them daily, so there should be another one today." He gestured to the corner where an older looking computer stood on a desk, evidently having missed the upgrade that the glossy black models upstairs had been privy to. Sasuke was still picking through his food, so Naruto seated himself on the swivel chair in front of it, wincing at the tired creak it made when he sat down, and waited for the computer to boot up.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?" Naruto hadn't turned initially, but hearing the pause he turned to face Sasuke who was frowning at the floor. "What?"

"You said you never knew your parents," Sasuke said abruptly. Naruto abandoned the casual thought he had been having about whether or not he would manage to get a hickey on Sasuke's neck by the end of the day.

"What?" he said, scattered. "I mean, yeah, no I didn't." Naruto blinked, his features laced with confusion. "Why?"

"Weren't you curious?" Sasuke asked, side-stepping Naruto's question. Sasuke expression was blank but his eyes were thoughtful.

"Sure I was," Naruto said edgily, shifting in his chair slightly and licking his lips. "Any kid would be curious. I used to wonder what my parents were like, why they ab- why they left me." Naruto took a quick breath, his gaze focused inwards as he thought about his past memories. "But then I met Haku, and he became my family." He glanced at Sasuke who was still watching him with a trace of hesitance in his gaze, as though he was worried that he would push too far and the fragile comfort they had together would fall away. "Anyone would wonder, I guess,"Naruto shook his head slightly, looking up with a tight smile, "but I never saw any point in trying to find them. Where I'm from isn't important."

Sasuke nodded, apparently deep in thought, mulling over what Naruto had said while Naruto shifted awkwardly. He didn't talk about his parents much; Haku had been in such a similar situation there was no need for words. Later, people had just skipped around the the topic. It was always something he thought about, late at night, whenever he was feeling particularly lonely. He wondered what it would feel like to have a family, to have a constant to fall back on. But conversely, he was somewhat glad that he wasn't like so many children that had been ripped away from their family by tragedy or malice; afterall, he didn't have anything to miss, and the hollow he sometimes felt aching in his chest could be filled by Haku and ramen and Haku.

"So you don't care who you family were?" Sasuke asked, sounding as though the words were carefully placed.

Naruto opened his mouth, then closed it before managing to get a sentence out. "It's not that I don't care. It's just that it's not important right now." He scowled, not quite able to explain it as he wanted to. "Why are you asking?"

"I wondered," Sasuke said flatly, walking across the dull grey carpet to where Naruto was sitting an leaning past him to reach the keyboard. "I'm logging you in."

"Thanks," Naruto said, a little distracted by Sasuke's proximity. It would probably have made more sense for Naruto to move out the way and let Sasuke have the chair, but instead Sasuke was standing behind him and leaning over his shoulder to type. Naruto wondered if it was intentional or not, and then his attention was caught by the triangle of pale skin on display between Sasuke's hair and shirt collar.

"Emails," Sasuke murmured, moving the mouse, ignorant of the predatory look in Naruto's eyes. "That's weird."

"What is?" Naruto firmly ignored the salty voice that had been suggesting he ignore Sasuke and instead find out exactly how that patch of skin tasted.

"No email today," Sasuke said with a frown, eyes skimming the list of unread emails and not seeing his brother's name there. "He emails every day."

"Can I see a past one?" Naruto asked. Sasuke said nothing but moved his mouse to the deleted folder and selected one.

"This is yesterday's," Sasuke said, moving back a little. "I just skim them, because they're all the same. Half the time I don't even read them. He says he's unwell, he's not coming in, he hopes I can handle things, if I need help go to Madara, as though I would ever _consider_ that."

"Why would he bother doing that?" Naruto asked, rereading the email. It was just as Sasuke said, containing three elements: Itachi wasn't coming in to work, he assumed Sasuke would be able to work without him and if Sasuke needed help he should go to his uncle.

"I don't know," Sasuke said with a shrug. "To piss me off? Even if I desperately needed to ask Madara something, the way he makes it sound...like I need his help, as though I couldn't run the company myself."

"Sasuke..." Naruto frowned, tapping his fingers against the side of the chair and turning so he faced Sasuke properly. "For a second, forget that you hate your brother, and try and think of what the emails mean."

Sasuke scowled, finding it difficult to push past his feelings for Itachi, the way that he regularly ignored his brother's eccentric behaviour, labelling it as mind games or just Itachi being insane, to try and see things as Naruto was. "You're looking for clues where there are none."

"Your brother has been missing for at least a month, he's been sending you daily emails that say pretty much the exact same thing, they've suddenly stopped, and you don't think it's curious?"

"I suppose," Sasuke said with a grimace, as though Naruto was forcing him to swallow acid.

"In films, the best way to solve a mystery is to look at motives," Naruto said narrowing his eyes as though expecting to pounce upon a case-solving motive at any moment. "Constant vigilance- no wait, sorry, that's something else."

"Frankly Naruto, I'm not overly confident in your mystery solving ability," Sasuke said flatly. Naruto glared at him.

"Look, just, pretend, for a minute, you're Itachi, why send the emails? What's the point?"

"To irritate me?" Sasuke threw out, leaning against the wall next to the computer and lifting his hands in confusion. "To let me know he's still not coming in? To tell me he doesn't think I can run the company myself? To get me to talk to Madara?"

"What I don't get, is if your brother is so smart, then he should know that you wont go to Madara, much less if he suggests it like that, so why?" Naruto reasoned, turning from side to side on the chair. Sasuke frowned, having not considered that. Thinking about Itachi's motives was foreign to him, he had long given up seeing his brother as a human being, and now viewed him as something far less reasonable.

"I don't know," he said finally, glaring at the carpet, angry at himself. "If he wanted me to see Madara, he's doing the wrong thing. If anything...." He trailed off, a sudden thought catching his attention. Swallowing, he looked up to lock eyes with Naruto who was evidently thinking the same thing.

"If anything, it makes you want to do the opposite," Naruto finished, eyes wide with realisation.

"Fuck."

"So he's trying to keep you _away_ from Madara!" Naruto exclaimed, speaking faster as he processed the information, then stumbling to a halt. "But wait, he works for the Akatsuki, why wouldn't he want you near Madara?"

"I don't know," Sasuke admitted, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "But it makes sense that he wants me away from him... It fits in."

"How? Naruto asked, blond eyebrows pulled together.

Sasuke sighed, frustrated, pushing off from the wall and pacing. "You heard about the contract with Oto?" At Naruto's blank look he huffed and carried on. "Itachi said I should join with the Akatsuki, but when I announced I was going with Oto he acted as though he was relieved."

"So despite working for them, Itachi has something against the Akatsuki?" Naruto suggested. Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, frustrated, before making a brusque gesture with his wrist.

"I don't know, I don't know what the fuck is going on," Sasuke said harshly fingers twitching with a need to _do_ something. Naruto stood up, startled.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay," Naruto said, taking a few steps towards Sasuke, freezing when Sasuke turned to him, his eyes like fire.

"It's not going to be fucking 'okay' Naruto," he hissed. "I'm in the middle of some crazy, messed up conspiracy, to find a man that I don't even know anymore, that has been playing me this _whole time._ It's not 'okay.'"

Naruto took another nervous step as Sasuke covered his face with his hands, trembling slightly. "Sasuke.." he whispered, unsure of what to say. Naruto reached out a hand, pausing for half a second, and then placed it on Sasuke's shoulder, feeling the muscles tense immediately. Gently, he rubbed in small circles, wanting badly to give some form of comfort but knowing that if he pushed too far, Sasuke would reject it.

After a few seconds, Naruto felt Sasuke relax minutely, and his shoulders rose, as he inhaled, steadying himself. Naruto removed his hand, letting it fall limply to his side, watching Sasuke nervously.

Taking another breath, Sasuke turned his head to look at Naruto, not saying anything, just looking. For a second, Naruto thought he was going to open his mouth to speak, but he didn't, just looking away instead.

"Naruto, the folder is for you," Sasuke said abruptly, not facing Naruto. He looked instead back towards the table where the three books lay.

"Huh?" Naruto glanced at the tan folder, then back at Sasuke. "For me?"

"Itachi gave it to me," Sasuke said, swallowing. "A while ago. I didn't think anything of it but you would."

"Uh, okay," Naruto said, unsure. He glanced at Sasuke before walking across to table, wondering what Itachi could possibly have given Sasuke that would interest _him_.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

I don't know why I am so sh*tty at updating. It's a fine art, I guess. Thanks for pointing out my mistake, and here's the chapter without the double xD

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

**Into The Woods**

The folder was thin, carrying only half a dozen or so sheets of paper. Naruto shot another enquiring look at Sasuke, but after receiving nothing but a blank glare, he flipped open the cover and looked inside; his breath catching immediately at what he saw.

The first sheet of paper documented a missing person's report, giving basic details as well as a paragraph on where the subject was last seen, but it was none of this that caught Naruto's attention. Instead his eyes were drawn immediately to the brightly coloured photograph in the top right hand corner.

For a second he thought he was looking at a picture of himself, the hair colour, face shape, it was all similar, almost identical. Just as soon as he started making mental comparisons, he saw the differences. It was as though someone had been told what Naruto looked like, and tried to pick someone out the same. They had many of the same traits, but at the same time there were differences. Eye colour, for one thing, hair length and style. Age was also a factor, the man in the photograph looked to be in his early thirties, a good ten years older than Naruto.

Confused, not comprehending what he as looking at, Naruto tore his eyes away from the photograph to read the text, seeing some form of explanation. The name; 'Minato Namikaze'...Naruto stared at it, voicing it in his mind, trying to find some sort of correlation in his memories, but there was nothing. It could have been the name of anyone he had met in the street, he had never heard it in his life, or if he had he didn't remember. Naruto frantically kept reading, wishing desperately for something to jump out at him, to throw him a lifeline so he could make a connection and go 'Oh! I know this guy, he's my...' but there was nothing. The text remained blank facts: the man's age was actually thirty two, he was unmarried although he had had a girlfriend according to some sources. He had gone missing on October tenth, twenty one years ago-

Naruto inhaled so quickly he choked, and then tried to breathe again, ending up coughing until his eyes teared and he felt Sasuke rubbing circles on his back, the palm of his hand hot through the material and the attempt at comfort doing little to calm his sudden nausea.

"The date," Naruto rasped out, shivering suddenly and looking at Sasuke, his eyes wide and his usually tanned skin pale. "October tenth." Sasuke paused the motion of his hand on Naruto's back, but didn't move away. It was like their position from earlier, when Naruto had been trying to reassure Sasuke, had been reversed. Now Naruto was the one in need of reassurance.

"What about it?" he asked, fearing what Naruto's answer would imply.

"It's my birthday."

Sasuke nodded, saying nothing feeling something drop into place though it gave no further clarity. He paused momentarily in his movements, and moved back to get a better look at Naruto.

"What does this mean?" Naruto whispered, clutching the papers so that they creased under his fingers. He was looking at Sasuke, as though expecting the answers from him, although Sasuke felt that Naruto had made the same connection he had, but was unwilling to see it.

"Naruto," Sasuke started, then stopped, not knowing what he wanted to say. "Do you...Have you ever heard of that-"

"No," Naruto answered abruptly, shaking his head. "Never. He's a complete stranger." He hesitated, reaching one shaking hand up to touch the photograph. "But he- he looks just like me. And he disappeared on my birthday." Naruto looked up again, his emotions transparent in his gaze. "Sasuke, what does it mean?"

Sasuke hesitated, first finding Naruto's hand that was clutching his arm and holding it tightly, trying to give some sort of reassurance. He wasn't good at comforting, he didn't know what to say to make things better. "I don't know," he said instead, his voice slightly hoarse. "Maybe it doesn't mean anything."

Naruto shook his head sadly. "I didn't think I would find out like this. At least I know now, huh?" His voice was shaky, but he pulled a smile onto his face, even though it looked pained.

"Naruto..." Sasuke squeezed his hand again, wishing his emotions could diffuse through skin.

"It's okay," Naruto said, as though Sasuke was the one that needed reassuring. "I mean, it could have been worse. He went missing...He didn't just abandon me...Or..." He stopped, his face fragmented with emotion, and looked back at the photograph, as though trying to imprint in into his memory.

"Naruto," Sasuke tried again. "Do you want to go-" Naruto shook his head vigorously.

"No, no way. Let's just look for the files, okay?" Sasuke frowned, unconvinced. but Naruto had already put the file down and was looking at the books.

"I already found that, the records should be in G14," Sasuke said, looking at Naruto with concern. "Look, are you sure-"

"Alright, let's go then," Naruto said, abandoning the books but taking the file and walking into the rows of cabinets. Sasuke hesitated behind him for a second before running to catch up, lacing the fingers of his hand with Naruto's free one and squeezing.

G14 was a corner with four filing cabinets, each having three compartments which were locked.

"Which is it?" Naruto asked, trying to act casual but not fooling either of them.

"I don't know," Sasuke replied honestly. "I don't even know what we're looking for. I suppose we will have to go through them systematically."

"You have the keys?"

"Yeah, here," Sasuke said, fishing the ring out of his pocket. There were four keys on the ring, presumably one for each cabinet. He passed them to Naruto who looked at them carefully.

"How do you know which is which?" he asked. Sasuke shrugged.

"They're supposed to say, I shouldn't have needed to check the inventory, but for some reason the labels aren't on the keys." Naruto crouched next to the first cabinet while listening, and tried the keys in the first compartment. The file was placed on the floor next to him.

"None of them work for this cabinet," Naruto said after a few seconds of silence. Sasuke frowned in confusion.

"What?"

"Doesn't fit," Naruto replied, moving on to the next cabinet.

"Are you sure you're doing it right?" Sasuke asked, taking the keys back and trying the first cabinet himself.

"Sasuke, I did break into your apartment, you know," Naruto pointed out. "I know a thing or two about locks."

"I know," Sasuke muttered, frowning as none of the keys fit. "What the hell?"

"Let's try the rest," Naruto suggested, taking the keys and trying them in the second filing cabinet while Sasuke leaned his head against the cool metal. Everytime he thought he was getting somewhere, it turned out that the rabbit hole was a lot deeper than he had originally assumed. "Nope, not this one either."

"Maybe this is one of those TV shows, where there are secret cameras around watching us make a fool of ourselves," Sasuke commented dryly. Naruto paused in front of the third cabinet to make an obscene hand sign at a suspicious looking corner, and the resumed his activity.

"This one doesn't work either, maybe we're in the wrong section?" Naruto suggested, shuffling to the final filing cabinet.

"What's the alternative?" Sasuke asked. "Going through every filing cabinet in the whole place to see if the keys fit? For all we know they're the keys to Itachi's diary."

"Doing jigsaws, keeping a diary, going missing. Itachi is just full of surprises," Naruto said, sticking his tongue out in concentration as he went through the keys. He was acting fairly normal now, so Sasuke assumed he had put the information about his father to the back of his mind. "Hey! We have a winner!"

"Really?" Sasuke asked, having half expected none of the keys to fit. He crouched down next to Naruto who was opening the top drawer.

"Oh," Naruto said.

"What?" Sasuke groaned, kneeling to look inside the first drawer and sighing. It was empty.

"Great. Just great."

"Your brother sure has a sense of humour, Sasuke," Naruto commented, pushing the drawer closed and working on the second one. "Behind door number two...nothing."

"Oh yes. He's a riot," Sasuke said, sitting back against the cold metal of the cabinets. "Should have been a comedian."

"Hey!" Naruto said suddenly, pulling a file out of the bottom drawer. "Jackpot!"

"What?" Sasuke asked, twisting around as Naruto shuffled back, laying the file on the floor. It was thick, holding several sheets of paper.

"I'm guessing this is what we're looking for then?" Naruto said, sitting next to the file cross -legged. "At least Itachi made it easy for us."

"I'm starting to feel like this is a treasure hunt," Sasuke grumbled, taking a look at the file. "It's finance, at least we know we're on the right track."

"Hm, this is gonna take a while to read," Naruto remarked, hefting the folder. He turned to Sasuke who was looking at him with a strange expression. "What?"

"I agree," Sasuke said abruptly, standing up. "There's no need to stay down here, let's go back to my apartment."

"Are you sure?" Naruto frowned even while standing. "There could be more clues down here or something?"

"I doubt it," Sasuke said dryly. "Let's go." Naruto shrugged as Sasuke picked up the file, and grabbed the folder on the floor.

"Alright," he said, following Sasuke out. His fingers twitched as he glanced at the folder he was carrying, half of him desperate to read more and half terrified about what he might find. So many of his questions could be answered within those pages, but would he be satisified with the answers?

They took the elevator up and walked in silence outside, Sasuke occasionally glancing at Naruto, who was lost in his own thoughts.

"Are you okay to drive?" Sasuke asked, casually masking his concern with disregard.

"I'm fine," Naruto said, unlocking his bike with practiced ease. He'd been riding for so long, it was as easy and automatic as walking for him. "Get on."

The journey to Sasuke's apartment, although he had only made it a handful of times, was becoming ingrained into Naruto's mind. He didn't have to think, just set his body to autopilot and let his mind wander. An hour ago, he had no idea about his family, and now out of the blue, he had a father. Naruto wasn't sure what to do the with that information. It was important, felt important, but didn't seem to fit in his life.

In Sasuke's apartment, Naruto settled on the couch while Sasuke went to the bathroom, and then got them both drinks. While Sasuke busied himself making tea, Naruto reopened the first file with shaky hands, rereading the first page, and then immersing himself in the details.

"He was a policeman," Naruto whispered, then again louder, trying to make it real to himself.

"Mm, I read the file," Sasuke commented, bringing the tea and setting a mug down in front of Naruto who took it gratefully, curling his fingers around the smooth, rarely used porcelain, but not drinking.

"I wonder what he'd think of me," Naruto said bitterly. Sasuke frowned, sitting down on the sofa with him. "I'm hardly an ideal citizen."

"You're a good person," Sasuke said, still frowning. "You had to make difficult choices."  
Naruto snorted softly, eyes on the text as he read more. "That doesn't make it any better if I made the wrong ones."

"You did what you had to do," Sasuke said.

"I didn't _have_ to help Zabuza," Naruto argued. "I didn't _have_ to blackmail you."

"You had your reasons," Sasuke said.

"So?" Naruto challenged. "Every criminal has their reasons."

"I think trying to save a friend is a little more worthy than 'I want to take baths in hundred dollar bills'," Sasuke commented dryly.

"Damnit Sasuke, this isn't a joke," Naruto snarled, punching the cushion next to him. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, unable to think of the words.

"I know it's not," he tried, a little stiffly. "But I don't know what you want me to say." Naruto huffed, drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

"Me either," he admitted. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Sasuke sighed, turning fully to face Naruto, refusing to give into the softness of the couch. "Look, maybe you should go home, take a break."

Naruto sat up straighter, looking alarmed. "What? Why?"

"I'm just saying, maybe this will look better after you've had some rest, had some time to digest and think," Sasuke explained, sipping his own tea.

"Oh right, and leave you to unravel this on your own?" Naruto asked sarcastically. "I'm not letting you do this on your own. Besides, this is about me too," he added, tapping the folder.

"I thought you'd say that," Sasuke murmured quietly, almost to himself. Naruto frowned at the action.

"Shouldn't we look at the other file?" he asked, setting his own cup down.

"I suppose," Sasuke agreed, lifting it from the coffee table and opening it to reveal sheets of tables. It was similar to the sheets Kabuto had presented earlier, typical finance, but nothing highlighted. Sasuke hadn't expected it to be. Itachi seemed to be of the opinion that while they could be led to the clues, actually being told was asking too much.

"What is this?" Naruto wanted to know, lifting up the first sheet and frowning at it, as though expecting the answer to reveal itself.

"This is the annual finance five years before my parents died," Sasuke explained shortly. "It just has basic expenditure and income." He pointed to the appropriate parts.

"And what are we looking for?" Naruto asked, tracing a column with the pad of his finger.

"Projects, I believe," Sasuke said, getting comfortable. "Kakashi said something about restarting old projects, so we should look into that."

"I don't get what we could find," Naruto complained as Sasuke started to look through, shuffling the papers until he came to one that he deemed relevant. "It's just records. How is that gonna help us find Itachi."

"You're the one that thinks we're in a detective novel," Sasuke muttered, extracting a sheet from the pile. "Use your imagination."

"Detectives don't usually have to deal with paperwork," Naruto said sadly, reaching for some papers regardless.

"It looks like they had six major projects," Sasuke said thoughtfully. "Am I supposed to be looking at one of them?"

"Only five," Naruto corrected him. Sasuke frowned and glanced back at his paper.

"No, six," he maintained. "One, two, three, four, five, six." He counted them off on his sheet.  
Naruto scowled. "I can count, and there's only five, look." He thrust the sheet of paper in front of Sasuke's nose, too close to be read, so Sasuke snatched it and looked carefully.

"You're right," he said after a moment. "On this sheet, detailing the projects, there are only five," he replaced the sheet on the pile. "So why are there six on the outgoing finance sheet?"

"Oh man, not this again," Naruto groaned, covering his face with an arm. "What's with you Uchihas?"

Curiously, Sasuke's expression, rather than horrified, was resigned as he checked and rechecked the figures, before sighing and pointing to something. "Here, Akatsuki again, and look," he snorted in disgust, "it's far more than Itachi was giving." Naruto decided the reason he wasn't feeling shock was that all these revelations were making him numb to it. He half expected Itachi to jump out of Sasuke's wardrobe and declare he had been there _all along._

"Why were your _parents_ paying Madara?" Naruto asked, taking the papers while Sasuke looked at something else.

"I don't know," Sasuke said shortly. "It could be any of a number of things."

"It's like there's some weird Uchiha family conspiracy," Naruto mused. "Dunno where I come into- hey when did you take that?" He blinked at Sasuke who was holding the file on Minato Namikaze.

"You put in on the sofa, I picked it up," Sasuke explained, flipping through to the back and reading, his expression impossible to read.

"What are you looking at?" Naruto shuffled closer, just as Sasuke closed the file and dropped it on the coffee table.

"It's not important," he mumbled, rubbing a hand over his eyes. Naruto looked at him in concern, shifting a bit closer and touching his shoulder gently.

"Sasuke," he started, his voice almost at a whisper. "Are you okay?"

"Don't you think we've asked each other that enough times today to know the answer?" Sasuke replied, removing his hand and looking at Naruto intently.

"I guess so," Naruto admitted, glancing down. He was startled when he felt more than saw Sasuke move closer and then registered soft lips pressing against his. He made a surprised noise that was muffled, and then turned into a moan, one hand reaching up to thread into dark hair, while the other curled around Sasuke's waist, pulling him closer. They kissed gently, without urgency. Naruto let Sasuke press him back into the cushions of the sofa, sighing when he felt Sasuke's warm weight lean into him and was about ready to crawl into his lap and make the whole exchange a lot more desperate, when the contact was abruptly broken off. "Huh?"

"Nothing," Sasuke said, moving back and then standing up. Naruto frowned, he didn't seem angry, but then why did he pull away at all? "More tea?"

"Sure," Naruto agreed as Sasuke took back the empty mugs. Naruto stared into space for a while, and then went back to his father's file which Sasuke had just put down. He spent a little time studying the photograph, memorising the face, and wondering when it was all going to sink in, while Sasuke boiled the kettle. He flipped to the back where Sasuke had been looking, reading the notes on Minato's disappearance, and noticed that there was a note written in blue inked cursive at the bottom that he had overlooked:

'Back to the beginning, little brother.'

"Sasuke!"

"What?" Sasuke appeared, holding fresh tea. Naruto waved the file at him excitedly.

"Did you see this?"

"See what?" Sasuke enquired, unperturbed as he passed Naruto one of the mugs and kept his own.

"This!" Naruto explained, ignoring the mug and thrusting the paper into Sasuke's line of sight. "Creepy message from Itachi!"

"Oh that. Yes," Sasuke said monotonously.

"What do you think it means?" Naruto asked eagerly, flipping forward to the front of the folder and finding nothing inconspicuous. "There's nothing at the beginning."

Sasuke didn't even look, his focus inwards. "Drink your tea, Naruto. It'll get cold." Naruto scowled at him, grabbed the mug and drank half of it down, ignoring the way it scalded.

"This is so weak," he muttered putting the mug down.

"Sorry, running out of teabags," Sasuke replied tonelessly.

"I drank the tea, so explain this to me," Naruto demanded, as Sasuke sipped his own drink.

"I suspect he doesn't mean quite so literally," was all Sasuke said.

"How can you metaphorically go back to the beginning?" Naruto wondered out loud. Really, this puzzle was all well and good, but couldn't they be given a straightforward answer now? He drank the rest of his tea, ignoring the weak, insipid flavour, since Sasuke had added enough sugar to make it bearable. When he looked up, Sasuke was regarding him quietly.

"What?"

"After Itachi killed my parents, I became very depressed," Sasuke said, softly, succinctly. Naruto froze at the unexpected comment, watching Sasuke carefully. "I was withdrawn, angry, confused. All to be expected, of course." Sasuke was sat back on the sofa, his expression contemplative, his features softer than Naruto was used to seeing them. "I saw several therapists."

"Sasuke..." Naruto started, lips parted as he listened, unsure but willing to take what Sasuke was offering. The speech was even and gentle, even if the topic wasn't, and it lulled Naruto's mind.

"Some helped, some didn't," Sasuke commented, as though he was comparing detergents. How he could be so closed off when talking about something so personal? Maybe that was the only way he could discuss it. "I settled for trying to forget and attempted it in an unhealthy manner. When I was fifteen, I tried to kill myself."

Naruto's eyes widened, half at the information, half at the soft soft sadness in Sasuke's voice, so barely there he could easily have missed it._ "Why?"_

"I was fifteen," Sasuke said, though Naruto couldn't discern if it was simply information, or an answer to the question. "I was being prescribed sleeping pills and so I took a bottle at once, and drank them down with vodka."

"God, Sasuke," Naruto bit out, feeling nauseated at the thought. Sasuke's disaffected manner was becoming more and more clinical, and more and more alarming.

"Kakashi found me," Sasuke continued brutally, although Naruto wasn't sure who was being punished with the information. "I had my stomach pumped, and aside from having to see even more therapists, no harm was done." Sasuke paused, facing Naruto for the first time, noting the anguish in Naruto's eyes. The other man really did feel his emotions deeply, and felt so much compassion for those around him.

"No harm..." Naruto echoed hollowly. "You tried to kill yourself, Sasuke, how is that-"

"The doctors stopped prescribing me sleeping pills of course," Sasuke said, as though Naruto hadn't spoken at all, an edge in his voice that told Naruto to stay quiet, to listen, to trust him. Naruto did trust him, to an extent, but he trusted himself more, and there was nothing in his instincts that would let him stay quiet. "But I can still get a hold of them if I really need to, and sometimes I do."

"Why are you telling me this?" Naruto blurted out, trying to search out a motive in Sasuke's expression, but seeing nothing behind the blank mask except the faint suggestion of sorrow.

"How do you feel, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, seemingly arbitrarily.

"Don't change the subject," Naruto snapped, trying to focus.

"I'm not," Sasuke answered lightly, standing. "You look tired." Naruto tried to stand too, but his legs gave out beneath him and he fell back, shocked, into the cushions.

"Sasuke," Naruto started, fear gripping him. "What did you-"

"You should rest," Sasuke said, refusing to look at him, taking the files from the sofa and coffee table and moving away.

"Sasuke," Naruto tried again, even as he felt his body succumbing to sleep, his eyelids heavy, begging him to give in.

As he lost the battle, letting the darkness engulf him, Naruto thought he heard Sasuke's voice, from a distance. "Naruto..."

Then there were footsteps, a click, and silence that merged seamlessly into sleep.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

If you're reading this, thanks for not letting my ability to update properly make you lose faith in the story. ^^

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

**Into The Woods**

It had started to rain by the time Sasuke left the building. Cool drops fell in gentle sheets through the warm summer air, unhurried, without purpose or design. The air smelt dusty as Sasuke walked on the pavement, hands in his pockets and shoulders slightly hunched in an attempt to avoid the shower.

Naruto would be furious when he awoke, Sasuke knew, and the anger would be well deserved. He considered what Naruto's reactions might be, as he traversed the familiar streets, letting his memory guide him. Would they tend towards violence ? Perhaps. Would it ruin the tentative relationship that had budded between them ? Sasuke hoped not, but it was a possibility. Naruto didn't seem the kind to let go of something he wanted, but there was no reason to think he would want anything to do with Sasuke after this.

It seemed he was a true Uchiha after all. Manipulative, selfish, narrow-minded and arrogant. His parents would be so proud.

While sorrow registered at having betrayed the trust that Naruto had placed in him, Sasuke felt no regret. This was between Itachi and him, and it was a pity Naruto had been entangled in it in the first place. Whatever the outcome, Naruto would be saved the drama that would unfold in the next hours. While Sasuke had his fears confirmed, and his past rewritten in an unfamiliar and bitter story, Naruto would sleep peacefully.

Although weak in its intensity, the tenacity of the rain meant that as Sasuke passed from the main city through into more suburban areas, his clothes became mostly saturated. Cold fingers of moisture trickled down his neck, soaking his collar, and his hair stuck to his temples uncomfortably.

Finally, as the rain started to abate, dissipating like a sigh, Sasuke found himself outside a familiar building. He hadn't seen it in years, but its outer appearance had hardly changed. Shiny with rain, the gate's matrix was shaped into the Uchiha symbol, and a crust of brown rust had formed where the black paint had chipped away. Behind the gate, a wide path ran up to the house, although in recent years it had been narrowed by the uninhibited growth of foliage that had previously been regularly trimmed back to perfection. The path itself was laden with dead leaves and branches of overhanging trees and bushes, a thick layer only absent on the area of path the gate scraped against it when Sasuke pushed it open. The air was heavy with pollen, and beneath that the musty scent of decay, reawakened by the rain. Sasuke kept his head up as he walked, observing the large house. All of its windows were dark and murky, suggesting long periods of disuse ; no shadows moved behind them, and if it wasn't for a certainty in his mind and his gut, Sasuke would think he had misinterpreted the message.

The door was open, of course, the wood weathered beneath Sasuke's palm, and it creaked as Sasuke pushed it back, like a warning. Inside the house, it was dark, and it took Sasuke's eyes a moment to adjust from the light outside. He stepped in and closed the door.

Itachi wanted him to go back to the beginning. Well, this was the beginning ; this was where his life had spiraled out of his control. This was the house he still dreamt about sometimes and the calm that had overcome him while he walked was slipping quickly away. Ignoring the sudden coldness around his heart, Sasuke swallowed.

"I'm home, " he called out into the waiting darkness.

" Welcome home. "

The voice came from within the house, a low, familiar voice. Sasuke walked further in, knowing instinctively where obstacles lay. Although the specific location of the voice was unknown, given his brother's perchance for dramatics, Sasuke knew where he would find him.

On the threshold to the lounge, Sasuke paused, resting a hand on the door frame, more to test its reality, than for support. The curtains were closed, leaving only thin rectangles of light in, that seemed brighter inside the house than it had outside. Along the walls were abstract shapes that slowly revealed themselves as mundane objects, filling up shadows in Sasuke's memory. There was a bookcase, a radio, a painting on the wall. There was a large armchair with its back to Sasuke, presumably where Itachi sat. On the coffee table in front of it was a small silver laptop, currently closed.

Sasuke's attention, however, was drawn to the centre of the table. Although it was clean, bought after the death of his parents, his mind imprinted the image of their bodies onto it.

Swallowing, finding the air thick, almost solid in his throat, Sasuke took a few steps forward. There were dusty floorboards instead of carpet under his feet, and he nearly retched as he realised why, but forced back the urge. Stiffly, he walked until he stood on the other side of the table, and faced the armchair.

"Itachi," he greeted.

"Sasuke," his brother returned.

It was the first time Sasuke had seen his brother in months, and he did not look good. Itachi's usual pale skin seemed ashen, the shadows thrown by the planes of his face were harsh and he had the sickly look of someone that had not seen daylight in a long time. This was how a corpse would look, Sasuke thought, if you dug it up after a week. In the house that had been dead a long time and was slowly rotting, Itachi fitted in perfectly. On the table, next to the laptop was a half empty glass of water.

"I got your message," Sasuke said, after a few moments of silence, of just looking at his brother and trying to understand an iota of the emotions battling within his chest. How could he bear all of this? He wondered. Something must break, eventually.

"It took you a while," Itachi said. Closer, Sasuke could hear the dryness of his voice, the gravelly undertone that replaced the usual lacquered finish. The air tasted sickly sweet and overripe, on the brink of decay. Below that, or perhaps in his mind, Sasuke smelt blood.

"I appreciate your waiting," Sasuke replied coolly. "Were you watching us?"

"Why would you say that?" Itachi asked, steepling his fingers. He was dressed for work, wearing a smart suit without a single crease that Sasuke could see. The black of the jacket melded with the black of the armchair, distorting his shape.

"I know you wouldn't be able to sit back and wait for me to find you," Sasuke answered, almost carelessly, although his features were hard. "Your desire for control not withstanding, the emails gave it away."

"Of course," Itachi's voice was soft, and he shifted slightly, crossing one leg over the other in a neat and efficient movement.

"Cameras?" Sasuke suggested lightly, "or spies?"

"Cameras," Itachi said. "Human informants tend to neglect to convey even the most basic of facts." He paused. "Human beings are so fallible."

"Of course," Sasuke echoed, mockingly. "I should have known you would say that." Sasuke kept his eyes on Itachi, away from the coffee table, trying to keep his focus. "One in your apartment, one in the basement, one in my office, where else?"

"The hallway outside your apartment, and my own office, just in case you decided to try breaking into my computer."

"None in my apartment?" Sasuke ventured, his tone dark. All this time, Itachi had been happily watching him flounder and question himself. Itachi was always, _always_, one step ahead.

"No, but I saw enough in my own and your office to make educated assumptions of what was going on behind your door, little brother," Itachi said, the smirk apparent in his voice. Sasuke scowled, remembering quite clearly what he and Naruto had done in Itachi's apartment. Perhaps Naruto would not have been so eager if he had known they had an audience. "You didn't bring Naruto with you?"

"He has no place in this," Sasuke snarled, his fists clenching. He almost took a step forward but then stopped himself, unwilling to let his brother see him lose his cool.

"Really, Sasuke, you know that's not true," Itachi scolded, as though he were correcting a spelling mistake or basic maths error in Sasuke's homework. "You've read the files. You must have, if you're here."

"The file wasn't about Naruto," Sasuke insisted. "It was about his father."

"Who our parents had killed," Itachi finished. The words were gentle, but final, leaving no room for argument. Sasuke heard such surety in every syllable that he felt his consciousness finally see what the trail had been telling him. Instead of horror at the statement, Sasuke felt only acceptance.

"And that is why you killed them?" Sasuke asked dully.

"Yes," Itachi admitted, and this time it the word was like a knife. It was like having the carpet pulled out of him, and falling straight down into darkness. The idea that for all these years, he had been hating the wrong person? But then even with a reason, Itachi had still committed murder, he had taken Sasuke's family from him! All three, in one swipe; father mother and brother, all lost.

"Why?" Sasuke bit out. Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"Why did I kill them, or why did they kill him?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Itachi looked surprised, as though he hadn't anticipated the question. Sasuke's mind wasn't as predictable as he had thought. "Why let me go on thinking that you were a crazy psychopath instead of telling me why you did it?"

"That is a good question," Itachi mused, his gaze adrift. "I questioned the wisdom behind it may times myself. For one thing, I wanted you to think our parents were honourable. Better a crazy brother than sane parents that were killers all the same. Back then it seemed logical, but then, I was hardly in my right mind, perhaps I am still not," Itachi added with a curl of his lips, "Justice has a price afterall."

"Murder and justice are very different things," Sasuke said darkly.

"Ah, my brother, always the idealist," Itachi crooned, his voice amused. "A difference of opinion, I suppose. Do you think a shameful, never-ending court case would have been better?"

"Better than what you did?" Sasuke retorted, answering without having to consider. "Definitely. You are not God, you don't get to judge."

"Idealism will only get you so far, little brother," Itachi teased. "Besides, I found hate to be an effective motivator."

"Speak plainly," Sasuke commanded. "We're alone."

"For now," Itachi returned, then continued before Sasuke could speak. "How much say in your life would I have had as your older brother?"

"I admired you," Sasuke muttered angrily. "I would have done whatever you told me to."

"But for how long?" Itachi questioned, apparently unsurprised at Sasuke's answer. "Eventually you would wish to rebel, and then what? In the end, hatred outlasts adoration."

"You-" Sasuke snarled out, unable to verbalise his emotions, his hands clenched tight into fists. "Then this whole elaborate trail of clues was because of what? You decided it's time for me to learn the truth?" When Itachi said nothing, Sasuke growled. "Or maybe you're just tired of controlling two peoples' lives?"

"If I had my choice, you would never have learned the truth," Itachi said gravely, ignoring the way Sasuke's mouth fell open, fists trembling in anger. "I laid the trail in case the need ever arose. I didn't think I would have to use it, certainly not so fast. I miscalculated."

Sasuke snorted. "So you admit you're not perfect? Go on, enlighten me, what did the brilliant Itachi get wrong?"

Itachi didn't react visibly to Sasuke's taunts, only irritating him further, before he spoke. "I thought I could protect you."

Sasuke started to smirk, as though expecting a joke, but the expression slid off his face as Itachi kept his silence. "Protect me?" Sasuke echoed, his features twisting angrily. "From what? You already killed my parents."

"Our parents were fools," Itachi said shortly. "Narrow-minded, blinded by greed, arrogant fools. I could not let them walk free with the crimes they had committed. But for all their pride, their actions were not of their own invention, their hands were guided."

Sasuke was quiet for a long minute. The house creaked, outside the wind whistled through the trees, and in the armchair Itachi was as still as a statue.

"Madara," Sasuke said finally, softly. His voice was layered with understanding and anger in equal quantities.

"It was his idea," Itachi said monotonously. "First to invest, and then when it seemed like their affairs would come to light, to remove the obstacles."

"It was _him_?" Sasuke growled, breaths coming quickly. Itachi gave an elegant shrug in reply.

"Our parents were just as guilty. Madara instigated it, he provided the opportunity, and the mechanisms, but they agreed. All to save themselves." Itachi's words were laced with derision.

"Then why didn't you judge him, like you judged them?" Sasuke gritted out. His blood was pounding in his ears, the pauses between each pulse so silent in comparison. "If you could kill your parents, why didn't you kill him?"

"Funny really, how quickly your ideals fall through," Itachi commented, brushing his cuff slightly as if to remove some dust. "A few minutes ago, the idea of murdering someone in a bout of vigilantism appalled you."

Sasuke stared at his brother for a few long seconds before tearing his gaze away, frustrated. Tired of standing still, he moved to the covered window and pushing down on the panic that crawled over his heart. "Does it please you, to play these games?"

"Games are all I have left," Itachi said, a smile in his voice that Sasuke couldn't see. "But I suppose you are not in the mood to humour your big brother."

"You suppose right," Sasuke replied, lifting the blinds to look out into their back garden. When they had lived here, the garden had been immaculate, seen to by gardeners every week. The long lawn had always been perfectly mowed, and Sasuke's mother had kept a rose garden at the back. Now little of the garden could be seen through the tangle of greenery that crept right up to the window, further blocking the passage of light.

"Our parents trusted me, which facilitated their end," Itachi said slowly, as though he was mindful of Sasuke's reaction. "Madara did not. He realised what had happened. A man with his resources is remarkably difficult to kill."

"So you joined the Akatsuki to get close enough to kill him?" Sasuke asked, letting the blind drop into place, setting off a mushroom of dust.

"No," Itachi corrected, "I joined in order to gain his trust. Killing Madara was beyond me, my only aim was to protect you from him, and begin laying the ground so that one day, if need be, you could learn the truth."

"Did the idea of just sending me an office memo not cross your mind?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

"Would you have believed me if I hadn't given you proof? If I had just asserted the truth instead of letting you come to the conclusions on your own?"

"I might have," Sasuke muttered. His eyes had finally adjusted to the dim light, and he could make out Itachi's shape with ease.

"I was unwilling to take that chance. Furthermore, this gives us much more privacy, don't you think, little brother?" Itachi asked. He lifted his wrist and shook his cuff back, checking the time.

"I just don't see why you had to bring me here," Sasuke scowled, looking around. This house had too many ghosts. He knew exactly the number of stairs there were, how to climb the big oak tree at the back, and where his mother used to hide the cookie jar before her oldest son turned her into a corpse.

"This is our childhood home," Itachi said, finally standing. The chair creaked, as he did so, and Sasuke wondered if he hadn't been sitting in it for days. Then he chased the thought away, of course he hadn't. "Doesn't it bring back fond memories?"

"I'm sure there are fond memories," Sasuke said slowly, watching Itachi move towards a cabinet and opening it. "They're just buried under the knowledge that our parents took their last breaths in this room."

"Knowing what they did, you still think I was wrong?" Itachi asked. Sasuke heard the clink of glass, before, Itachi turned around, holding a tumbler of golden liquid. Sasuke frowned, there was something wrong with that picture. "I don't want a drink," he said, instead of answering the question.

"It's not for you," Itachi answered, moving to the window. His steps were soundless, and he stopped only a little distance from Sasuke.

"You don't drink," Sasuke said, eyes narrowing as Itachi raised his glass and took a sip. He made a soft noise of appreciation.

"And why is that, little brother?" He finished his question with another drink. When he drank, Itachi closed his eyes and his long, dark lashes, brushed against his cheeks. They looked similar, Sasuke thought, he and Itachi. Dark hair, dark eyes, and pale, pale skin.

"Your tolerance is stupidly low," Sasuke answered mechanically. "Drinking just a small amount of alcohol means your control wavers, and you hate to lose control, even for a second."

"Very good," Itachi replied, a smile teasing the corner of his mouth. "You know me well. I'm drinking now because I have given up control."

Sasuke blinked, watching mutely as Itachi finished the drink and set the glass on the window ledge, before checking the time again."What?"

"What I mean, is whatever happens now is up to you. Everything I've done was intended to bring you this far," Itachi continued, while Sasuke stared. "So what will you choose? Now that you know the truth, you must make your decision. Will you join Madara?"

"You told me he's responsible for all this," Sasuke said slowly, eyes fixed on Itachi's dark ones. "And for Naruto too."

"Which should just show you how powerful he is," Itachi replied smoothly. "Side with him, and no one will touch you."

"He killed our parents," Sasuke stated warily.

"No," Itachi said shortly. "_I_ killed our parents. Do not confuse cause and effect."

"He still played a hand," Sasuke insisted, frowning. "Why are you saying that? Do you want me to join him?"

Itachi considered him for a second, before turning to get another drink, footsteps knocking on the wooden floor. It was too dark to see, but in the light, were the floorboard still red? Every step, Sasuke expected time to reverse and Itachi's shoes to step into warm, blood-soaked carpet. "Perhaps I do," he remarked, as though to himself. "It would be easier for you, certainly."

Sasuke snorted. "Like it was easier for you?"

"Madara didn't trust me, he knew I held him responsible, it would be different for you," Itachi said, his voice accompanied by the slow chug of whiskey out of a bottle and into a glass. Sasuke wondered if Itachi had brought his own, or was drinking from their parents' stash. He might as well, they weren't going to drink it.

"Be that as it may, you can forget about it. I'm not going to do it," Sasuke insisted. Itachi watched him, taking a small sip and then looking into his glass.

"Very well," he replied finally. "Then you will have to kill him."

-

Loud, guitar heavy rock music suddenly broke the silence of the apartment. It's source was muffled, but persistent, lasting for half a minute before abruptly cutting off, mid-song. Naruto gave a happy sigh and let the quiet carry him back to artificial unconsciousness.

Without warning, the song started again, loudly blasting out from its source in the back pocket of Naruto's jeans. When it stopped, there was only a second's pause before it recommenced.

"Five more minutes," Naruto said, or tried to say. Due to a combination of sleep, and his face being plastered to the leather of Sasuke's sofa, the words were incomprehensible.

When the phone rang again, Naruto finally opened his eyes, and blinked, confused. Shifting his body slightly, he placed the texture of leather under his skin. Locating his arms, Naruto propped himself up slightly, from lying belly down on the sofa, and squinted. He felt awful.

Still blinking, Naruto sat up a little more, wondering why he felt so hungover when he had no recollection of going drinking. His first thought was that Zabuza had spiked his drink the previous night, but then- Naruto rubbed his temples, no, Zabuza had done no such thing since he was dead. His next thought was that maybe he and Sasuke had gotten drunk, which would explain the dizziness and confusion but that didn't feel quite right either. It was something to do with Sasuke, but-

In the next moment, Naruto sat up straight, ignoring the pain in his muscles from being in an uncomfortable position, and the way his head throbbed at the movement. Sasuke had _drugged_ him. The bastard.

"Urg," Naruto moaned, holding his head in his hands. Every little movement made his head ache, and the bright light of the apartment didn't help. His limbs felt leaden, and for a second, the idea of going back to sleep was incredibly tempting. To just lie back down on the sofa and let himself be swallowed up by dreams.

The music shook him out of his reverie, and Naruto looked around for a few moments, finally having noticed the sound which had faded into the background. After looking wide-eyed around the apartment Naruto realised that it was his own ringtone and stood up, fumbling in his pocket to answer it.

"Sasuke!" he barked, as soon as the call connected. "Where the hell are you? You're such a jerk, you know that? Who the hell _drugs_ people? And what even for-"

"Naruto!" His little tirade was cut off abruptly.

"Wha-" that didn't sound like, "Sasuke?"

"Naruto," there was a sigh. "There's this little thing called 'Caller ID'? It's an ingenious little invention, let's you know who is calling, before you pick up. The clue is in the name. So when I called you, your phone screen read "Haku" not "Sasuke." Understand?"

"Haku?" Naruto asked, uncertainly.

"Very good, you're catching on."

"Haku," Naruto said again, this time more firmly, trying to understand it in his own mind. His eyes swept over the apartment again, noting that Sasuke was nowhere in sigh. Truthfully, he knew that Sasuke was long gone. But where?

"Yes, I'm Haku, you're Naruto. You're doing very well," Haku teased.

"Why are you calling me?" Naruto asked, bewildered.

"You know to make a guy feel appreciated," Haku answered, his voice sounding sulky. "You called me, you left a message. I just picked it up."

"What?" Naruto mumbled, rubbing his eyes tiredly. So many words...

"Sheesh Naruto, are you okay? Don't tell me Sasuke fu-"

Naruto cut him off. "Sasuke!"

"No, we've been over this, I'm Haku," Haku replied placidly. "Say it with me now. Ha-ku."

"No no no no no no," Naruto rambled, standing up and looking around desperately. "I need to find Sasuke. He drugged me and left!"

"He drugged you?" Haku sounded skeptical. "I didn't realise you two were into that sort of thing but-"

"Have you seen him? Sasuke?" Naruto asked, panicked. He took a few steps to the door, then stopped, realising he had no idea where to go.

"No, I haven't," Haku said slowly. "Naruto are you okay?" His voice was serious. Naruto ran a hand through his hair, agitated.

"I'm fine, sort of," Naruto said. "Look, I have to go. I'll call you later." He disconnected the call before Haku could reply, dimly registering that Haku would be angry with him later, but it wasn't his priority right now.

Where the hell had Sasuke gone? Naruto racked his brains, trying to remember what they had been doing. He sat back on the sofa, eyes falling on the papers and files on the coffee table. Yes, they had been reading them through. The last thing Sasuke had done was read the file on Naruto's father.

The file was sitting innocently on top of the other papers, and Naruto reached for it, flipping through hurriedly, trying to find whatever trigger Sasuke had seen. He ignored the jolts he felt whenever the conscious thought that this was his _father's life_ he was reading occurred; he had to focus on finding Sasuke.

There had been something at the end of the file, Naruto remembered. The last page noted the case that Minato Namikaze had been working on before he disappeared, trying to trace embezzlement in a major firm, although the name wasn't given. Naruto frowned. So that was how his father tied into the Uchiha mess. One question answered, about a billion left. And then there was that cryptic note left by Itachi.

"Back to the beginning," Naruto read out loud. "What does that even mean?" Sasuke had said it wasn't literal, which was just as well, because flipping to the front of the file still yielded no results, but how could someone metaphorically go back to the beginning? Was that where Sasuke had gone?

Naruto took out his phone and dialled. "Haku, hey it's me."

"You hung up on me, what's that about?" Haku asked, indignant.

"No time for that," Naruto blustered. "Listen, this is important."

"I'm listening," Haku said, somewhat petulantly.

"If someone told you to 'go back to the beginning,' where would you go?" Naruto asked carefully.

"What, like, the beginning of time or something?" Haku asked, his voice puzzled.

"Noooo, the metaphorical beginning," Naruto corrected.

"Oh," Haku said. "I guess for me, I'd go back to the Home."

"What, why?" Naruto asked with a frown, fingers twitching impatiently. Who knew what Sasuke was doing now, or how much time had passed?

"That's where everything started, for me," Haku answered earnestly. "Why do you want to know?"

"It's um, important!" Naruto blurted. "Thanks! Gotta go!" He hung up again before Haku could reply.

So Haku would go to the Home. But that had nothing to do with Sasuke. What would Sasuke see as the beginning of his life?

The answer barreled into him suddenly, out of nowhere. It was so _obvious_. Standing, Naruto ran out of the apartment.

-

"What?" Sasuke asked, unable to understand what his brother had just said. His brother looked the same, sounded the same, and yet he what he was saying was completely insane.

"I said, if you don't join Madara, you will have to kill him," Itachi repeated coolly, as though his words were utterly unremarkable.

"I heard, Itachi," Sasuke said with a frown, looking around the room in disbelief, as though expecting a camera to jump out and yell 'surprise!'. "My problem lies in the way what you said makes _no sense_."

Itachi seemed somewhat surprised, or perhaps it was just the alcohol. He didn't seem to have drunk much of his second glass, and was letting it rest on the window sill. "If you don't intend to kill him, what do you intend to do?"

"For pity's sake, this isn't a crime novel," Sasuke snapped. "There are no diamonds hidden down a well and the butler didn't do it."

"I'm aware of that, mainly because we've never had a butler," Itachi commented. Sasuke fought the urge to throw a punch.

"Can you be serious for a goddamn second?" Sasuke wanted to know. Itachi shrugged.

"You're the one that mentioned the butler," he replied.

"Forget the fucking butler!" Sasuke all but screamed. "This is real life, we don't _kill_ people who piss us off."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Itachi looked at his watch again. Itachi's sanity was definitely open to debate, Sasuke decided. Outside, a magpie chirruped.

"Call the _police_?" Sasuke asked, sardonically. Itachi looked oddly disappointed at this suggestion.

"Really, Sasuke," he started, tone reprimanding, "do you honestly think Madara has gotten this far without having contacts in the police? He would never have been able to succeed in the Namihaze incident if it wasn't for inside help."

"But-" Sasuke stopped, not knowing what to say. He _hadn't_ considered that. His mind was still reeling from revelation after revelation, the thought of what he would do had hardly crossed his mind. "There must be a way," he started again, frustrated. "You can't just go around killing people." Itachi said nothing, just gave Sasuke an amused look. How nice, Itachi's sense of humour had come back as the last threads of his sanity departed.

"There are only three ways," Itachi corrected. "First, you kill Madara. Second you join him. Third you neither kill him nor join him. If you choose the third option, Madara will always suspect that you know. You will be the only loose connection in his otherwise perfect crime, and as such he will eventually have you removed. Is that what you want, Sasuke? To live in fear for yourself and those around you?" Itachi sounded as though he was reading through a prepared script, as though he were able to predict the future as easily as seeing the past.

"How do I know I can believe you?" Sasuke asked slowly.

Itachi shrugged lightly. "It hardly matters, since you _do_ believe me."

With a sinking feeling, Sasuke realised he was right. Something inside him felt that Itachi was speaking the truth and the options he presented to Sasuke were the only ones which existed. Sasuke took a few breaths, closing his eyes briefly and embracing the darkness there as an escape.

The choice as Itachi put it was simple. There was only one option Sasuke could choose, yet he still rebelled against it.

"If you're so sure that Madara has to die," Sasuke managed to say the word firmly, without trace of a stutter, "then why don't you do it?"

"I told you, Madara doesn't trust me. You know how paranoid he is."

"There's two of us though," Sasuke said awkwardly, unwilling to put himself in the same group as Itachi, but finding it near impossible to continue excluding himself. "Surely we can work something out. Madara doesn't even know that I know."

"He doesn't right now, but he will, shortly," Itachi informed him smoothly. Abandoning his glass in favour of crouching next to the coffee table. It was a new coffee table, obviously. Not the one that his parents had bleed out over. Sasuke wondered if Itachi had bought the coffee table recently, for effect, or it had been replaced after the death of their parents. He had left the house and the town so quickly after they died that the fate of the house had been unknown to him. For an eleven year old that had just lost his closest family in one blow, it had been utterly irrelevant.

"What are you talking about? Why do you keep checking your watch?" Sasuke asked, frustrated as Itachi repeated the gesture in question. Itachi ignored him.

"I would estimate we have about eight minutes before he gets here," Itachi continued instead of answering. "If you have any ideas, now would be a good time to share."


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

Last chapter! The next four parts will be epilogues, tying up the many loose ends.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

**Into The Woods**

Naruto took two steps out of Sasuke's apartment, files left scattered over the floor, door slammed haphazardly, and ploughed straight into a hard body.

"Sasu- Oh," Naruto finished, stumbling back into the door and blinking as he realised the person he had bumped into wasn't Sasuke. "Sorry," he mumbled, trying to go past, only to find his way blocked.

Confused, Naruto looked at the suit-clad man in front of him. "Naruto Uzumaki?"

Naruto swallowed. Nothing good ever came of hearing your name in that tone of voice. It was a voice that promised pain, and soon. The kind that working for Zabuza had made him more than familiar with.

Heart beating double time in his chest, Naruto looked up, swallowing as his eyes met steely ones.

"You _are_ Naruto Uzumaki, yeah?" The man had a long blond ponytail and was wearing a black suit. Naruto's heart sunk as he recognised not only the voice, but also the features from the files on Akatsuki personnel. His left hand, covered with a fingerless glove, was hovering near to his left pocket, promising to worsen the situation.

Naruto took a deep breath. "No, I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

Deidara frowned for half a second, in which Naruto used his confusion to knee him in the stomach and then slam an elbow into his back as he bent over. Naruto had always been taught that the first few seconds of a fight determined the winner in most cases. Against an armed thug, in a fair fight Naruto didn't stand a chance. As he placed a swift kick to the man's side, causing him to lurch to the side, Naruto sent a mental message of thanks to Zabuza for teaching him how best to make a fight unfair in his favour.

-

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, for what felt like the millionth time. When exactly was Itachi going to stop being a dozen steps ahead of him? "Why is Madara coming here?"

"Because he's looking for me," Itachi replied simply, straightening and rolling his shoulders experimentally. From the gap at the bottom of the blinds, a thin band of golden light fell over his figure, cutting him in half. "He assumes that you have worked out where I am."

"Then we have to do something!" Sasuke said, his eyes widening at the implications. He raised on hand in a brief, abortive gesture. "Even if we can't call the police, we can't just do nothing."

"I never suggested we do nothing," Itachi retorted smoothly. "However it's a dangerous situation."

"Then let's go already," Sasuke urged, looking around the room. "We need to get out of here if he's going to come. We can buy some time, hide out in my apartment for a while."

"Apart from several obvious flaws in your plan, we would be caught as soon as we set foot into your apartment complex. Several of your neighbours are being paid by Madara."

"But-" Sasuke cut off abruptly, an errant thought catching up with him. "Naruto, he's in my apartment. Will he be okay?"

"I wouldn't worry about Naruto," Itachi informed him, almost consoling before adding "our situation is far more serious."

"How can you be sur-"

Itachi interrupted him. "Trust your big brother. I planned everything, remember?"

"If Naruto gets hurt..." Sasuke threatened lowly, visions of Naruto being injured or worse assaulted his mind.

"Naruto can take care of himself, you should worry about your own life," Itachi said. "Time is ticking."

"What do you want from me?" Sasuke asked, frustrated. "I have no idea how we could possibly kill our uncle. Maybe we could drop an anvil on his head or tie him to the train tracks."

Itachi watched him impassively. "I'll assume you're being sarcastic."

Sasuke growled low in his throat. "Yes I'm being fucking sarcastic. You're talking about _murder_. That's something most of us tend to avoid." He narrowed his eyes at his brother. "You're the man with the experience; don't you have a plan?"

"I do, as a matter of fact," Itachi announced. Sasuke stared at him, jaw slack.

"When were you going to mention that?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"I wanted to give you an opportunity to voice a better one," Itachi said. "But of course, I wasn't hopeful."

When Itachi paused after the brief insult, Sasuke grit his teeth, a deranged voice in his mind informing him that if he survived this, he was going to have to go to anger management classes before his fury towards his brother gave him high blood pressure.

"Go ahead and enlighten me then," Sasuke gritted out. It was stupid that Itachi could make him react like this, as though they were kids, not twenty something adults. Itachi always made him forget himself, a little like the effect Naruto had on him, except without the urge to maim.

"The only way to kill Madara, is to make him believe that you are on his side, and then surprise him," Itachi instructed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Thanks for that truly genius plan. How do you propose we actually carry it out?"

The corner of Itachi's mouth gave a tiny, almost imperceivable twitch, and in any other situation, Sasuke would have felt a swell of pride at making his brother almost smile. As it was, he only felt a few small sense of accomplishment that was quashed a second later when Itachi spoke.

"Simple; you have to kill me."

-

Once out cold, Deidara was a lot less intimidating, Naruto discovered. Since the door to Sasuke's apartment had locked as soon as it closed, Naruto couldn't do much with him except to roll the body behind a large potted palm. Haku estimated a knockout from Naruto usually lasted from one to four hours, by which time Naruto hoped to be well away. His sense of self preservation caused him to claim the gun that Deidara had been carrying, although he fervently hoped that he wouldn't have to use it.

He really didn't have good memories of the last time he held a gun.

Still, he had no idea what he was getting into, so he slipped the gun into the back of his waistband and hightailed it out of the building, hoping very much that the security cameras hadn't caught his impromptu scuffle in the hallway.

Outside it had stopped raining, but the air still seemed damp and cloying. The pavements were darkened with moisture and the sky remained overcast, although the temperature was warm. Naruto's bike was parked where he left it, and it was only after he had coaxed the vehicle into the main road that he realised he had only the vaguest recollection of where Sasuke's house was.

He had only made one trip, and that was with Sasuke almost a decade ago. Worse, there was no way of knowing if he was even going to the right place, and if Sasuke would be there. It could just be a double bluff- nothing seemed beyond the Uchiha family at this point -and Naruto was wasting his time. He didn't know how long he had been asleep either, and he could be hours too late.

The only positive point he could find, as he agilely steered through busy afternoon traffic, zigzagging between cars and taxis that honked at him angrily, was that whoever had sent Deidara clearly didn't know about Naruto's fighting expertise. Additionally, as reluctant as he was to use it, he did have a gun, although no clear idea of who- if anyone -he should shoot.

Now, thought, overtaking a battered looking Volvo and heading towards the more upmarket area of the city, he just needed to find Sasuke and work out what the hell was going on.

-

"If you're trying to add humour to calm me down, it's not working," Sasuke said stiffly. After Itachi's blase suggestion, the two had stood in silence for a few minutes, while Sasuke tried to work out what sort of twisted game his brother was playing, and Itachi carefully watched his reaction.

"I'm not," Itachi said simply glancing once again at his watch that glinted in the dim light.

Sasuke stared, waiting for more of a reply, wanting Itachi to take back what he just said, to say it was a joke. Itachi remained impassive.

"Explain to me how your _dying_ is a plan?" Sasuke hissed. Since when was it appropriate to throw things like that out of nowhere?

"It's simple enough," Itachi started, his eyes unreadable. "If you kill me, it will prove that you're on Madara's side and provide a distraction, thus presenting you with an opportunity to kill him."

"So you want me to kill you to produce the equivalent of going 'hey, look over there?'" Sasuke asked, deadpanned.

"Do you have a better idea?" Itachi asked, unconcerned by his negative attitude.

"I think no plan is better than _that_," Sasuke sneered.

"With no plan, both of us die. With my plan, only I do."

Sasuke furrowed his brow and he opened his mouth to speak, hesitated and then ploughed ahead. "Itachi, if this is all some joke-"

"It's not," Itachi interrupted him, gaze intense, with no trace of inebriation.

"Then do you _want_ me to kill you?" Sasuke asked, anger colouring his voice to block out the confusion and fear he was feeling.

Itachi regarded him placidly. "Are you saying you can't do it?" He took a few measured steps towards Sasuke, his footfalls producing a muffling thunk on the wooden floorboards. When he was standing in front of Sasuke, who was unable to produce a response, he slipped a hand into his jacket, and gracefully withdrew something that he handed to Sasuke.

"You're serious..." Sasuke said, staring at the sleek-looking gun in his hands. The metal was cold to the touch and felt clammy and heavy in his grip. He was half afraid he would drop it, and half afraid he would hold it too tightly and somehow cause it to go off, so kept his grip on the bottom of the handle, trying to avoid being anywhere near the trigger,

"I'll make it easy for you, Sasuke," Itachi said, his eyes somehow less flat than usual, as though there was emotion hidden in their depths. To Sasuke, his attention fixed on the gun in his hands, Itachi's voice seemed to be coming from far away, but he jerked to attention when his brother's hands covered his.

Itachi's touch wasn't cold, like he had somehow expected. His movements were elegant and precise as he adjusted Sasuke's grip to hold the gun properly; one hand curled around the handle and the other supporting it, index finger poised on the trigger. Itachi gripped Sasuke's wrists lightly and raised them, until the barrel of the gun was pointed to the centre of Itachi's forehead. "W-what?"

"Shh, little brother," Itachi coaxed, sounding so unlike himself Sasuke's eyes went wide and fearful, his grip shaking as soon as Itachi let go of his wrists. "See, easy." He made a quick gesture, adjusting something on the gun, before letting his hands drop to his sides, seemingly defenseless. "I've even taken off the safety. All you have to do is pull the trigger."

For a whole minute, the two brothers stood completely still, save for the shaking in Sasuke's wrists. Itachi seemed unconcerned by the gun held centimetres from his face, and Sasuke felt as though he was stuck in a nightmare where he couldn't control his own body. He felt as though his muscles had seized up, or somehow gone numb without him noticing. It was as though he had left his body and was hovering away from the scene, watching himself but feeling no physical sensations.

The moment was broken when Itachi stepped back and to the side, out of the line of fire and sighed, turning and presenting Sasuke with a view of his back.

"You...W-what?" Sasuke managed to croak out, his head buzzing oddly.

Itachi moved to the windowsill and picked up his tumbler. "As I thought; you can't do it." Sasuke let his arms lower slowly as Itachi poured himself another glass of whiskey. "A pity, but maybe it's better this way." Itachi took a long drink, tipping his head back so his dark hair cascaded down his back, it's lines undefined in the darkness. "You always were weak."

Sasuke, who had been drifting in and out of the conversation, trying to reconcile with the fact a minute ago one tiny movement would have caused his brother's death at his hands, snapped to attention at the insult.

"I'm always- _what_?" Sasuke hissed, feeling his fingers tighten instinctively on the gun, even though it was lowered.

"A man kills both of your parents, and you don't even have the courage to take your revenge," Itachi said, speaking as though he was an outside observer.

"But you said-" Sasuke gaped at the one hundred and eighty degree turn around his brother had taken.

"It's funny, really," Itachi went on, ignoring Sasuke's protests. "You were so horrified at the time, but now it seems you didn't care."

"How dare you?" Sasuke's expression was livid, rage bubbling inside him. "How the-"

"Tough words, but you don't follow through," Itachi said mockingly. "Your willingness to forgive is incredible. You overlook not only what I did to our parents, but what I did to you as well."

Sasuke's hands were shaking again, but this time through anger. His brother was speaking so arrogantly, it was like a nightmare. "What?"

"I'm not sure you realise just how far my manipulation goes." Itachi raised his empty glass. "Or perhaps you don't mind being controlled."

"What are you talking about?"

"I simply mean that if someone had manipulated me, everything from where I went to school to what job I got, I would be angry," Itachi said. With one hand holding the glass and the other pushing back the bottom of his jacket to rest in his trouser pocket, Itachi looked completely casual.

"You sonovabi-"

"Name calling," Itachi said, almost sadly. "All bark and no bite. I'm sure Naruto never knew how much a coward you were."

The sudden change in conversation started Sasuke, and he frowned, replaying the last sentence in his head, trying to decipher what was troubling him.

"Why did you mention Naruto?" he asked slowly, fear gripping him. "And why did you use the past tense?"

"Naruto knows too much, you can guarantee Madara has already sent someone to take care of him. It wouldn't be the first time."

"Take care..." Sasuke's palms were hot and his grip on the gun was slippery, but he just tightened it. "You told me that Naruto would be fine."

Itachi turned slightly, something unreadable in his eyes. "I lied."

Before Sasuke knew it, the gun was raised again as his eyes narrowed. "You bastard."

The two brothers were so focused on each other they didn't notice the presence of anyone else until they heard a familiar voice.

"My, my. Isn't this interesting?"

-

"Fuck."

Naruto slammed the brakes and turned, guiding the bike to a stop as he looked around. Tall trees jutted above a water darkened fence that covered three sides of the area. Another dead end.

Relying on his instincts wasn't working as well as he had intended.

He hoped Sasuke was faring better.

-

"It's like a family reunion," Madara said, standing in the doorway and watching the scene. Sasuke took his eyes off his brother to watch Madara, but kept his hands steady.

Madara took off the overcoat he was wearing, draping it over a chair, and then removed his black leather gloves. Underneath he wore a black suit with a dark red tie that seemed burgundy in the dim light. Behind him, dressed similarly was a man with red hair and a demure looking woman. Dimly, Sasuke recognised them as members of the Akatsuki.

"Isn't it?" Itachi returned before nodding in greeting. "Nagato, Konan." The only response he got was a slight inclination of their heads.

"Konan, watch the door. Nagato check the house," Madara instructed curtly. Nagato and Konan nodded and left the room silently, and Madara turned back. "I haven't seen you in a while, Itachi," he said, his expression serious while his tone was light. The similarity between the three Uchihas was impossible to miss, and compared to his brother and uncle, Sasuke suddenly felt a lot younger. He willed his still raised hands to stop shaking, unwilling to show weakness in front of his uncle.

"I've been busy," Itachi replied with a disinterested tone. His hands were loose at his sides, and his eyes slid over the occupants without pausing on any in particular. In contrast, Madara seemed excited by the situation, his eyes darting between the brothers and about the room, as though he was watching an action-packed film.

"I can see that." Madara looked meaningfully between Itachi and Sasuke. "What exactly is going on?"

"Sasuke plans to kill me." Itachi's tone conveyed how unlikely he believed this outcome to be. After standing so long with only Itachi, the room suddenly seemed crowded, like there wasn't enough air. Sasuke took a deep, reassuring breath, and continued to focus on Itachi. Although his brother claimed Sasuke wanted to kill him, the truth was all desire to hurt Itachi had been pushed down when he saw his uncle. Now, realisation and anger battled with each other as Sasuke understood that Itachi had been trying to bait him in order to carry out his unrealistic plan. What was sickening, was how easily enraged Sasuke had become. Itachi was scarily adept at manipulating him, and around Itachi, Sasuke was scarily easy to read.

Deciphering who wanted what was becoming difficult. Sasuke didn't know how much Madara had heard, but assumed that he wasn't a threat for now. If things went sour, however, Sasuke had little hope he would leave the room alive. It would be symbolic to die in the same room where his parents had lost their lives, in a twisted sort of way.

What Itachi wanted was hazier and hazier to grasp. Initially it seemed he wanted Madara dead, then for Sasuke to kill them both. Sasuke had no idea whether Itachi was serious in his death wish, or had another ace hidden up his sleeve. It seemed unlike Itachi to sacrifice himself, but Sasuke was beginning to realise that he didn't know Itachi at all.

Furthermore, Sasuke's own plight was confusing even him. Initially, he had wanted answers, and now he had them. Did he want revenge for the death of his parents? Certainly. When he was a teenager, the idea of killing Itachi had seemed glorious in his mind, and even now his feelings towards his brother were mixed. Madara was also responsible, and in this case it was easier to access the simmering anger he felt towards the man. However the fact remained that his parents weren't at all innocent and as such might not deserve vengeance.

Although it was unlikely that Sasuke could kill both his uncle and brother, both of the people responsible for his parents' death which was an event that had ruined his life, Sasuke wasn't even sure he could do it. That when he had Itachi at gunpoint, he couldn't pull the trigger highlighted the fact that wanting someone dead, and killing them, were very different things. It suddenly occurred to Sasuke that he had a lot to lose.

"My my, how intriguing." Madara's eyes shone with glee before he affected a look of sadness. "I admit, I hate to see siblings fighting. I had a brother of my own, but he died." Madara looked between Itachi and Sasuke. "What exactly has your brother told you?"

Before Sasuke could reply, Itachi cut him off. "Nothing he believes. He's such a child, refusing to see the truth." The last few words were directed straight at Sasuke, who almost squirmed under their intensity. He felt like Itachi was trying to communicate something to him, but he couldn't work out what.

"No one is willing to see an unfavourable truth," Madara said. His uncertainty put Sasuke somewhat at ease. Obviously Madara was unwilling to make a move until he was sure of the situation. Whether Itachi was an ally for him or not, Sasuke didn't know, but perhaps through some sibling instinct, feeling adrift and confused, Sasuke turned to his brother for answers.

Itachi was looking at his watch.

"Have you been hiding here all this time?" Madara asked, the question dimly registering in Sasuke's mind. Itachi had only glanced at his watch for half a second, but Sasuke had seen it. Why would he be checking the time? Previously, he had been estimating when Madara would arrive, but now? What was Itachi waiting for?

"Most of it," Itachi replied, his body half turned towards Madara, and half facing Sasuke. Together, the three of them made an isosceles triangle.

"I was very concerned," Madara said, not sounding it in the least. "Enough games. Sasuke, what did he tell you?"

Sasuke was momentarily floored by the sudden swing of attention towards him. Falling back on some childhood instinct, Sasuke looked at Itachi. _Itachi was looking at his watch. _

Who to trust and what to believe was so unclear in Sasuke's mind. Whatever he did, he was taking a risk.

"I don't believe him," Sasuke heard himself say. Madara's eyes seemed to widen slightly as Sasuke continued. "He's just trying to excuse himself, making things up." The bitterness in his voice was not forced. Sasuke was tired of thinking he was a king, only to find out he was really a pawn and always had been.

He was probably being an idiot for trusting Itachi, for putting his faith where it had been ripped through so many times before. Still, he couldn't help himself. Just one more time. He would say what Madara needed to hear in the hopes that whatever Itachi was waiting for didn't delay too long.

_Just once more_.

"You don't believe him, hmmm?" Madara asked, his eyes calculating. There was a flicker in his expression, Sasuke tried to keep his face straight, to present a look of resolve. He couldn't look at Itachi. Madara made a small, disappointed sound, and Sasuke felt his stomach lurch. "I don't believe you."

Inwardly, Sasuke sagged. That was that. The game was up. He would die, Itachi would die, Naruto would die and Madara would walk free. He had risked everything on the hope that he could convince Madara to trust him, and it had failed. There was some irony that the two brothers would die in the same room that Itachi had taken their parents' lives. Something almost poetic, if not for the fiery desire that rebelled against the idea of accepting death, screaming at him in a voice that sounded oddly like Naruto.

Too bad, he thought. Rebelling would get him nowhere, except an ignoble death. A quick glance at Itachi revealed that his brother was looking faintly alarmed at being finally caught out. It wasn't overly obvious; a widening of the eyes, a certain tenseness around his mouth.

Sensing that the cards had been laid down and they had been found in wanting, Sasuke felt able to push his fear and confusion aside. The battle was over and the result decided. There was no point in being afraid.

"Fine," Sasuke said, "kill us then."

"He wont," Itachi said suddenly, and when Sasuke turned to him in surprise, he saw his brothers' expression was almost smug.

"And why is that?" Madara asked, eyes narrowing.

"Dirtying your hands isn't your style, you always get someone else to do it. Right, Uncle?" Itachi clarified.

"True," Madara acknowledged thoughtfully. "I'll leave it to one of my hard working employees." He raised his head slightly. "Konan." Sasuke turned to the doorway, expecting to see Konan appear, but there was nothing. Madara was frowning. "Konan!"

There was a tense moment, in which both Sasuke and Madara turned to Itachi, Madara paling as he took in Itachi's expression. There was victory in his eyes. "Nagato has been a while, don't you think?"

-

Haku knew eighteen different ways to incapacitate someone without them noticing, based on finding and exploiting specific pressure points on the human body in order to knock someone out for six to twelve hours. Naruto only knew one, but that was enough.

After what seemed like driving around for hours, he had finally, through a stroke of luck, stumbled upon the right road and located the Uchiha house. As he had jogged up the drive, noting the unmistakable signs that several people had been here before him, he caught sight of movement and skipped behind a tree at the side of the house just as the front door opened. A red haired man that Naruto dimly recognised as part of the Akatsuki had looked around while Naruto pressed himself against the tree, counting on the leaves and branches to obscure him. As soon as the man turned to close the door, Naruto darted out, firmly pressing two fingers into the soft tissue behind his ear and then catching the body as it sagged. It was something he had done many times before, on dummies and on humans, and had seen the results firsthand so had felt no remorse. The man would wake in a few hours feeling a little disorientated, but nothing else. He slipped inside the house.

It was darker inside than outside with no electrical lights on and dust heavy on every surface. Naruto blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust to the change and getting his bearings. His memory of the house was barely present, but he did sense familiarity in the shape of the room and the position of the doorways. His eyes flitted over the basic furniture, noticing how empty the foyer seemed. It had been vacant for years, afterall. Although some of the furniture seemed to have been removed, a lot remained. The house belonged to Itachi, Naruto realised.

From the hallway to his right, Naruto could hear the soft murmur of voices, occasionally rising in volume. His heart quickened slightly as he recognised Sasuke's voice and he was about to enter the hallway when he noticed something.

To the side of the doorway, leaning innocently against the wall, was a backpack. Naruto blinked, raising his right hand to rub at his eyes. Just the fact that it wasn't old, heavy-looking wooden furniture made it look out of place, but also the _colour_. It was dark, so Naruto couldn't see exactly, but he was sure it was red or orange. The idea of something like that being in the Uchiha household, especially after all this time, just didn't seem right, but the real reason it seemed so strange was revealed when Naruto knelt down next to it and realised that it wasn't just an orange backpack. It was _his_ orange backpack.

Naruto ran his hands over the straps, feeling the rough texture, softened through use. It was definitely his. As soon as his mind had placed it, various memories corroborating the belief had made themselves known. He even remembered saving up his allowance to buy that specific one, because it was the only school bag in orange that he could find. Sasuke had said it was an eyesore, Naruto remembered. His mind stuttered to a halt; what was it doing here? Slowly, he began to piece it together. The last time he had been here, he'd left, running out, convinced that Sasuke was going to be killed by his brother. He must have left his backpack up in Sasuke's room, and at some point someone had brought it down. Still, it seemed odd for it to be here.

Curiously, Naruto lifted it and was surprised to find it almost empty. When he opened it, the books, paper and pens that he would have expected to find were gone. Instead there was a small black rectangle. Naruto lifted it out, his fingers touching cool plastic, feeling grooves under the pads of his fingers. He frowned, trying to get a good look at it in the poor light, but as soon as he turned it over, it's identity was illuminated. For a moment, Naruto was clueless as to how this could have got into his bag in the first place. He certainly hadn't left it there. Then the low murmur of voices from down the hallway rose slightly, indistinct conversation cutting through the air, and he understood.

"Wow, he really does think of everything," Naruto said under his breath, leaving the bag and standing.

Getting rid of Konan was easier than Naruto had expected. Something of his movements in the foyer must have attracted her attention, as Naruto heard footsteps approaching. He plastered himself to the wall on the side of the doorway, and as soon as she stepped through knocked her out with a blow to the back of her head. The Akatsuki were too overconfident, Naruto decided, but then it was probably easy to get over confident when all you generally did was point and shoot. Zabuza would have had no qualms about gifting him with a black eye if he was stupid enough to walk into an area under suspicion so casually.

To the side of the doorway to which he had traced the source of the conversation, Naruto paused out of sight, trying to follow the conversation as the sounds morphed into recognisable words.

"Nagato has been a while, don't you think?" Naruto heard a low voice say, as he pushed the door open and stepped inside, smiling brightly.

"Yup," he agreed, slipping his hand in his pocket to press something on the black box. "I don't think he's coming back."

Seeing Naruto enter the room was like seeing a kangaroo in a snowstorm; completely unexpected. Sasuke blinked, loosening his grip on the gun minutely and then blinked again, as all attention focused on the room's newest occupant.

"Konan's down for the count too," Naruto was saying, but his voice sounded like it was echoing off the walls and very far away. Something in Sasuke's mind wasn't making sense, not quite clicking. Why was Naruto here? Naruto didn't belong here. He hadn't belonged here, in this room, or in this house, ten years ago, and he didn't now. Itachi, Madara and Sasuke, they were the characters in this twisted production. Naruto had no place with them. At the same time, Sasuke felt inexplicably glad to see Naruto. He didn't feel reassured, like the situation was going to get better, because this was Naruto. He probably had no plan, and no idea what he was rushing into, and they were probably all going to die anyway. But Sasuke was still happy to see him.

For some reason, it felt like Sasuke had a million things to say to Naruto, and he felt a little sad that he wouldn't get to say them. Some things, like 'I'm sorry Madara killed your parents,' and 'I'm sorry I gave you sleeping pills,' and 'you're an idiot for coming here because now you're going to die too and I never wanted that,' Sasuke thought that Naruto would probably know anyway. Other things though, Sasuke really did want to say. Things like 'I'm glad we met,' and 'you even talk about ramen in your sleep,' and so many other things that didn't have any real relevance but Sasuke just wanted to say them.

He realised that he really, really liked Naruto. He wanted to say all those things to him, he wanted to talk to him, to be near him in mornings and evenings and late at night and when he went to work and when he drank orange juice and it was just too bad because they were all going to die.

"You're Madara, right?" Naruto said, turning to Sasuke's uncle. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I have a couple of things to say to you."

"Naruto Uzumaki," Madara said thoughtfully. "I was surprised to find that you weren't dead."

"I'm really not," Naruto said, grinning. He glanced at Sasuke, whose expression was of shock, and winked. "You should really wait until you see an obituary before you claim someone's dead."

"An associate assured me beyond any doubt that you were no longer of the living," Madara said, frowning. He turned to Itachi. "Someting to do with you?"

Itachi smirked. "Oh no. I did nothing. Some people just care about other things than power." He addressed Naruto. "He's talking about Zabuza."

Naruto started slightly at the mention of the name and Sasuke frowned, vaguely remembering it from conversation. "Zabuza told you I was dead?"

"He told me you were _already_ dead," Madara corrected. "I see now that he lied. I will endeavour to correct that."

"Answer my questions first." Naruto's expression was serious. Sasuke wanted to signal to him somehow, to tell him to get out now before it was too late, but he couldn't.

Madara smiled in mock courtesy. "What is it that you would like to know?"

Naruto wasted no time. "You killed my parents, correct?"

"It's true," Madara admitted. "But I did it for his family." He pointed to Sasuke.

"How _dare_ you-" Sasuke started, but Naruto interrupted.

"I don't care about that," he waved his hand to hasten the conversation. "My father was Minato Namihaze?" Sasuke wondered how the words felt on his tongue. Were they familiar, did they just drop into place in his mind, or did he fight to get them out? Madara nodded. "Who was my mother?"

"Kushina Uzumaki," Madara replied, a twisted smile falling on his lips. "She was quite beautiful. Long red hair and exquisite blue eyes."

"Why did you kill her?" Naruto asked, jaw clenched tight.

Madara looked almost disbelieving. "Isn't it obvious? I never leave a job unfinished." He spoke unhurried, without remorse. "For the same reason I had you moved from the hospital, and why his parents later considered having you killed. Uchihas don't leave loose ends. All it would take would be one person to put the clues together and everything we had worked for would come crashing down."

"If they wanted me dead, why am I still alive?" Naruto asked.

"You have Itachi to thank for that," Madara said, gesturing. At Naruto's look of confusion he added: "Don't tell me you didn't find out the real reason behind his little massacre."

"That was why you- why you did..." Naruto stared at Itachi with conflicted emotions. For years he had thought Itachi was a cold-blooded murderer, now he realised that there was a reason behind his actions, and the reason was connected strongly to him. He didn't know what to feel.

"What are you going to do now, Naruto?" Itachi asked, not answering any questions.

"He killed my parents," Naruto said, his eyes gleaming as he gestured to Madara. "So I'll avenge them." He glanced at Sasuke to check his reaction and then started as he noticed the gun. "Sasuke- what-"

"Sasuke wishes to kill me, because I killed his parents," Itachi explained monotonously as though he had no interest in the information he was relaying. Startled by his brother's words, Sasuke lowered the gun further until the barrel was facing the floor. Then, just as suddenly, he raised it back up, this time aimed at Madara.

"No, I don't," Sasuke said evenly, using his second hand to steady his hold. "You weren't responsible. He was."

It seemed that Sasuke was the only Uchiha that would feel alarm when faced with the receiving end of a gun, since Madara looked unimpressed.

"Aren't you gonna beg?" Naruto asked, eyes narrowed on Sasuke and Madara. "You're not the most popular guy in this room."

"Forgive me for not dissolving into a nervous wreck under the pressure," Madara remarked dryly. "The fact of the matter is, regardless of what I have done to you, neither of you are going to kill me."

"You seem pretty sure of yourself," Sasuke said, adjusting his grip on the handle of the gun.

"With good reason." Madara gave both Naruto and Sasuke an overly patronising look. "Neither of you are killers."

"Now's a great time to start." Sasuke swallowed, adjusting his stance slightly. He shot a glance at Naruto who had drawn a gun, but was pointing it at the floor. Madara smiled.

"I think not. It takes a special kind of person that can take a life. The kind of person that neither of you are."

Sasuke growled in frustration, trying to will himself to pull the trigger. As much as he hated to admit it, every word that Madara said was convincing him. If the situation had been different, if it was him against Madara in a fight he could perhaps have taken that final step. But to kill someone that was for all intents and purposes defenseless...The idea made something within him rebel.

"I think you're jumping to some conclusions here," Naruto said suddenly, causing the attention to swivel towards him. "I have no intention of killing you."

"He killed your parents," Sasuke said, confused.

"And I said I would avenge them," Naruto pointed out, a smirk forming on his mouth. "That has nothing to do with murder. Which for the record, you were only threatening with right, Sasuke? You would never dream of harming anyone and you don't kick puppies."

"Did you get drunk before you came over here?" Sasuke asked.

"What record?" Madara asked, fear slipping into his voice for the first time. Naruto smiled brightly and put his hand in his pocket, pulling out a black rectangle.

"This one!" he said happily, turning the object around.

"That's...recording?" Sasuke asked, watching as the tiny wheels in the cassette rotated. He let his hands fall back to his sides.

"Yup!" Naruto confirmed. "It has been for a while now. We got some great moments, like the part where he admitted he killed my parents and hired someone to kill me. Pretty interesting stuff."

"You brought that yourself?" Sasuke asked, a smile starting to spread on his face.

"Not quite," Naruto admitted, looking behind Sasuke. "That was you, right?"

"Correct," Itachi confirmed before turning to Sasuke. "I said that he had contacts in the police, but they can't overlook evidence like this. We've got him." Itachi let a tiny smile appear on his face and Sasuke felt all his worry dissolve as he grinned.

"I think you're missing something," Madara interrupted. "Fair enough, you could give that tape to the police, and I'd probably be charged and spend the rest of my life in jail."

"It sounds like a beautiful vision of the future," Sasuke said, making Naruto snort with laughter.

"But if I go down, so does your brother." Madara's expression was of triumph. "The conversation clearly states that Itachi killed Sasuke's parents. Regardless of the motivation, that's still murder."

"What? No!" Sasuke exclaimed, taking a step forward. "No way."

"Tough, there's no two ways about it," Madara said. "If I go to prison, so does he."

"But Itachi had good reason for what he did, he was protecting me! That's got to be worth something!" Naruto insisted.

"Are you willing to take the risk?" Madara turned to Sasuke, who clenched his jaw.

"No, I'm not."

"That's okay, because there's no risk," Itachi said calmly. He took a step towards Sasuke and pulled the gun out of his limp grip.

"What are you talking about?" Madara snapped as Sasuke and Naruto looked on in confusion. "If I go down, you go with me."

"I'm going down either way," Itachi said. As Naruto and Sasuke watched in horror, he raised the gun to his own head.

"Itachi- Itachi, _no_," Sasuke said, his face completely white with fear. "No, we'll find a way. Not like this."

"My life ended a long time ago, Sasuke." Itachi's grip was steady, there was no fear in his eyes. "There's nothing left for me."

"You're my brother," Sasuke hissed taking a step forward and reaching out. "_I'm_ left for you. We-we run the company together, I need you to be co-president."

"You'll do fine on your own. You coped for the last month didn't you?" A kind smile appeared on Itachi's face.

"No I wont." Sasuke's fingers clenched around his brother's suit jacket. "We're brothers, damnit. You can't-"

"Sasuke, move back," Naruto said. Sasuke tore his attention away to glance at Naruto but hardly moved.

"Itachi, _please_."

"Sasuke, _move_."

"Wont you be happier this way? With me out of the way, Madara can be brought to justice. You can avenge our parents, just like you always wanted to."

"Not like this," Sasuke said, pleading with his brother. Madara glanced at the door, considering a quick exit, but Naruto placed himself firmly in the doorway, a gun pointed outwards in a silent promise.

Itachi shook Sasuke off and gently pushed him away, letting him stumble back a few paces. His eyes were soft as he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, little brother."

A gunshot rang out, and two bodies fell to the floor.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

Epilogue Number One! In other news, I have a cold. ;_;

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

**Into The Woods**

Light rain, just enough to dampen rather than drench, fell softly. It beaded on Naruto's hair and eyelashes until he brushed them away.

The rain abruptly stopped in Naruto's immediate vicinity, momentarily puzzling him until he looked upwards and was faced with the underside of a large, black umbrella.

"Oh," he exhaled. "You."

"You weren't at your apartment, so I figured you would be here." Sasuke adjusted his grip on the umbrella slightly, stepping closer so that it covered them both. "Sai and Sakura were helping Haku move his things."

"That's good."

"Sai wanted to warn you that if you stand in the rain you could get pneumonia."

Naruto let out a little chuckle, his eyes fixed in front of him. "I'll try to remember that."

Sasuke pursed his lips into a thin line. "They're worried about you."

"Do you ever think about him?" Naruto asked, ignoring Sasuke's statement for the time being.

Letting out a sigh of his own, Sasuke followed Naruto's gaze to rest on the marble tombstone, shiny with rain. Its white surface was unblemished by moss or dirt, and the engravings fresh. "Yeah."

"It's weird. All this time I was jealous of you for having a brother to look out for you." Naruto stepped forward to trace the first character, unmindful of the moisture that made his fingertips slippery. "And he was looking out for me as well."

"Naruto..."

"Where do you reckon he is right now?" Naruto's hand still rested on the gravestone, but his head was turned to look back at Sasuke who shrugged, making the umbrella bob with the movement so tiny droplets were shaken off and fell to the grass.

"I don't know."

"Me either," Naruto admitted. "He seemed happy though, didn't he?"

"Yeah." Sasuke stepped forward slightly so they were both sheltered again. "You gave him a chance he didn't think he had."

"It wasn't so hard." Naruto ducked his head. "Gaara fixed most of it."

"Still."

Naruto shook his head, making water scatter out of his hair, looking off to the side. He seemed to hesitate before speaking. "I just- I never got a chance to thank him." He scoffed. "I'm not even sure if what he did was right. And now I probably wont get a chance to see him again."

"We don't know that," Sasuke said. "And he knows you're grateful. If you didn't manage to fit in a 'thank you' between the fifty 'I'm sorry's then I'm sure he'll let it slide."

Naruto scowled. "Well excuse me for feeling bad for shooting someone."

They were both quiet for a little while, watching the light rain slide down the stone and sluice into the grass.

"You're still angry with me," Sasuke said, looking at the ground.

"I'm not angry," Naruto disagreed, flattening some grass with the tip of his shoe. "I just needed some time."

"It's been two months."

"I need _more_ time," Naruto amended.

"If you hate me, just say it," Sasuke said, growing frustrated with the stilted conversation. "Stop avoiding me and ignoring my calls and just tell me."

"What the hell do you expect?," Naruto gritted out with surprising venom, his eyes narrowed as he turned to Sasuke. "You _drugged_ me and left me behind! Am I supposed to just forget that?"

"So you _do_ hate me?"

"No, I-" Naruto brushed a hand through his hair, scattered, his mood abruptly cooling. "Look, it's true that I'm mad, but not everything is about you."

"I know that," Sasuke said, eyebrows pulled together. "But even if you don't want to talk to me, you could talk to the others. It's not fair to keep blocking them out."

"I know that, damnit," Naruto hissed, looking genuinely remorseful. "But they'll want to talk about what happened and they just- they can't understand. They weren't there." He looked sadly at Sasuke. "And you, you were there. But I don't know if I can trust you."

"I see." Sasuke looked down at the floor where his trainers were steadily soaking up the rain.

"Hey," Naruto bumped his hand against Sasuke's, making the umbrella jerk. "I don't hate you. Like I said, I just need time." He sighed, sinking his hands into his pockets and bunching his shoulders together slightly. "It's kinda hard to explain. There's so much I want to know- about my parents, and about what happened. After all this time, I know who they are."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Sort of," Naruto shuffled his feet, edging closer to Sasuke. "But I have to let go of the possibility of ever seeing them." He swallowed, pausing before speaking again. "I found my Mom's grave yesterday."

"Oh."

"My Dad's isn't here, I don't know what happened to his body, but there's no stone with his name on it."

"If you found your mother's grave, why are you standing here?" Sasuke asked.

"I didn't know what to say," Naruto said bleakly. "I just stood there, and I couldn't think- What should I say? 'Hi, I'm your son'? I figured I'd get some practice here instead."

Sasuke stepped closer, transferring the umbrella to his other hand and brushing his free arm against Naruto's. "Naruto, this is an empty grave."

"Yeah, but it's a grave," Naruto argued. "I just don't know how I should feel."

"I don't know," Sasuke shifted a little awkwardly. "Feel however you want to feel, there isn't a right or wrong way."

"I guess." Naruto gave him a sideways glance. "Everyone's worried?"

"Haku and Sakura," Sasuke said. "Sai I can't really tell."

Naruto snorted lightly, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Heh, he's kinda weird like that. But he's cool." He frowned. "I guess I could do with spending a bit of time with them."

"Yeah, I think Haku misses his best friend," Sasuke paused. "And he keeps giving me these really odd looks."

"Odd looks?" Naruto asked, turning as they started to walk back to the path. "Oh I think I know why. I sort of slipped that you drugged me."

"You told him I drugged you?"

"You _did_ drug me," Naruto said with a glare, shoving Sasuke a little so that he slipped on the muddy ground.

"I didn't think you would tell everyone," Sasuke said, shooting Naruto a glare of his own.

"It wasn't a _secret_ drugging," Naruto said. "If you drug someone, you have to take the consequences."

"Whatever," Sasuke dismissed. "Between him being angry about my _drugging_ you, Sakura being awkward about everything, and Sai talking about your feelings for your motorbike, it's kind of strange."

"Aww, I have great friends," Naruto said with a smile, before elbowing Sasuke. "If you weren't such a jerk, you'd be able to tell that."

Sasuke winced but didn't say anything, opting to hold the umbrella more to his side, so a fine sheet of rain fell onto Naruto. "Hey!"

"You should have brought your own umbrella," Sasuke said snootily.

"Yours is big enough to share."

"You can come under if you forgive me for drugging you," Sasuke said, glancing at Naruto to gauge his reaction.

"That's not playing fair," Naruto said with a scowl, inwardly debating his decision.

"Suit yourself."

"Urg, fine," Naruto said, falling into step next to Sasuke so they were under the umbrella. "Happy?"

"Extremely," Sasuke said with a small smile. "Come on, the post hadn't come when I left, maybe Itachi sent us a postcard."

"You think he might have?"

"I don't see why not- hey, stop hogging the umbrella, my hair's getting wet."

"It's not my fault you have such stupid hair."

Since Sasuke had walked from work and Naruto had taken the bus, they called a taxi back to Naruto's apartment.

"I'm home," Naruto called out as he walked in, stopping when he realised no one was there. "Where'd everyone go?"

Sasuke walked past him, avoiding various boxes to the coffee table and picked up a note. "It says Haku went to work and Sai and Sakura went to get fried chicken. They say they'll call you."

"Lemme see that," Naruto said, snatching the note while Sasuke fell back onto the sofa with a sigh, making it creak below his weight. "Huh. Sai and Sakura seem to be getting fried chicken a lot."

"I think they're dating, actually," Sasuke said, stretching out a little, trying to get comfortable.

"No way!" Naruto sat down next to him, looking at the note in disbelief. "You really think Sakura would go for a guy like Sai?"

Sasuke shrugged. "They seemed in to each other." He looked thoughtful for a second. "She did hit him a lot." His eyes narrowed. "Why? Thinking of asking her out yourself?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wha? Oh no nono, like whoa I so wouldn't. I mean, not that Sakura isn't hot, she's way hot, but I mean, no." He paused in his babbling to give Sasuke a sideways glance, trying to ignore the sudden realisation that for the first time in two months, they were completely alone in his apartment. "Why? Do you think I should ask her out."

"I think you should do whatever you want," Sasuke said with feigned indifference. Naruto scowled, hitting him lightly.

"I really hate you sometimes," he huffed, sitting back down with his arms crossed. He closed his eyes and tried to think calming thoughts. Clouds. Trees. Slow ripples of water along a lake-

Warm lips touched gently against his and his eyes snapped open before falling shut again. Naruto let himself relax at the soft touch, reading hesitance and apology in the careful way Sasuke moved his lips against his own; the way he let one hand rise up to brush through Naruto's hair and tilt his head, allowing new angles as the kiss deepened. Naruto moved his own hands up to rest on Sasuke's shoulders, simultaneously bracing himself and pulling the two of them closer.

There was something different about the way that Sasuke was kissing him, Naruto noted hazily, slipping one hand under Sasuke's smart shirt and smiling when Sasuke gasped into his mouth. He seemed slower, less desperate. Like they had all the time in the world.

When Sasuke pulled away, Naruto opened his eyes and squinted at him, looking slightly abashed. "You know, I didn't mean it. I don't hate you." He glanced down at his lap and then back to Sasuke. "I like you. A lot, actually."

A cool hand cupped his jaw. Sasuke smirked.

"Show me."


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

Epilogue Number Two! I hope you enjoy it!

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

**Into The Woods**

Some days, Iruka thought he should never have quit teaching.

"Stealing is stealing," he repeated for what felt like the fiftieth time. In front of him, a teenage boy, looking slightly scruffy in worn jeans and a faded teeshirt, shifted uncomfortably.

"It was a dare," he tried to explain, his hunched shoulders betraying his guilt. Iruka rubbed his temples, elbows on the desk. "I was gonna give them back."

"You shouldn't have taken them in the first place." Iruka leaned back slightly, ignoring the ominous creak his chair gave and looked at the youth in front of him. "Look. What if there had been an emergency and we had to get everyone out. If I couldn't find my keys because someone had taken them," he paused to give the boy a significant look, "then there could be some serious consequences."

"I'd have given you the keys back if there was an emergency." Why did he always get landed with the kids that had an answer for everything? Iruka internally slumped. In truth, he was mainly irritated that he had missed his weekly poetry club meeting looking for the keys that turned up under the kid's bed.

"How about this, next time Konohamaru challenges you to a dare, tell him a real man doesn't need to prove himself in such an immature way." His charge looked unimpressed. "Fine, tell him you overheard Moegi saying that dares were incredibly childish."

"Y'know, that might work," the teen said thoughtfully, a small smile spreading across his face.

"Great," Iruka said wearily. "Also, you're on bathroom duty for a month."

"What?!"

"And for every extra minute you stand here complaining I'm going to add an extra day," Iruka warned. "I mean it, Inari."

Grumbling, the teenager scowled before slouching out of the room, letting the door slam with just a little more force than necessary. Iruka let out a sigh of relief and sank back in his chair, looking at the ceiling that was shaking in a way that would be alarming if he didn't know that the kids liked to play extreme leapfrog at around this time.

Still, social work had its attractions too. You could help so much more than you could in a teaching position. Dimly, Iruka heard the doorbell and felt a tiny earthquake as the kids raced to answer it. True, he never slept properly and was probably developing a stomach ulcer from the fear of what pranks Konohamaru was going to pull next, but the rewards were worth it in his opinion. Now if only he could get some extra help so he could take Tuesday afternoons off.

He was already planning how he could spend an extra afternoon a week when he heard the rhythmic thud of hurried steps moments before his office door was flung open. "Inari, I'm not going to change my mind..." Iruka trailed off, looking up in wonder.

In the doorway, Inari was standing, looking his usual scruffy self, if a little more excited than usual, but just behind him were two young men that seemed awfully familiar. "Iruka! You wont believe who these guys are!" Inari was wrong there. "They used to live here, but then they ran away and it was all this big deal and we thought they'd come back but they didn't and _look_ now they're here! Obviously not to live here, 'cause they're adults now, but!" Inari gave a happy, confused laugh. "This is so cool."

"Mr Umino?"

There, standing behind the still babbling Inari, next to another familiar looking young man, was Naruto.

-

"So I went to the school, and they told me you were here, and me and Haku were thinking of maybe stopping by and seeing how things are going," Naruto paused for breath. "And now here we are!"

Having relocated to the tv room, they had gained a small audience for their conversation. Naruto sat in an armchair which he claimed had always been his favourite, despite Iruka knowing beyond any doubt that it had been purchased only a year ago. Haku and Iruka sat on hot chocolate stained sofa with two kids between them, while a third had managed to wriggle his way into Haku's lap and was bouncing happily on his knee. Inari had been joined by Konohamaru and the two of them were watching Naruto with awe that they quickly disguised with disinterest whenever attention fell to them.

"I can't believe it," Iruka said for the seventeenth time. "I never thought I'd see you- either of you -again!" Which was almost a lie and almost not, because anytime in the past decade that Iruka was in a crowded place and caught a shock of blond hair, he had been sure it was Naruto, miraculously turned up, healthy and happy.

Now it seemed like his wistful thoughts had become real. Older, maybe a little wiser, and no doubt having lived through some tough experiences, but alive and well in front of him.

"I can't believe you quit teaching to work here," Naruto said, looking around the room for the umpteenth time. Although some specifics had changed, the overall air of the place, the mess and confusion remained. It felt lighter though. Happier. And from the way Inari was beaming when he thought Naruto wasn't looking, it _was_ happier.

"Well I was so disheartened that I couldn't give you that A+," Iruka said with a smile. Naruto looked momentarily puzzled and then almost choked on a laugh.

"Oh man, that project!" He leaned forward to grab another chocolate biscuit from a plate resting on the coffee table. "That was ages ago. A whole lifetime ago." He chuckled again, mind rewinding to the distant memory. He'd certainly thought about it a lot, but the project itself had become something like scenery. There, but utterly unimportant. Now he dimly recollected how excited he had been about it and how much effort he had put into it.

"It was so tragic, what happened to Sasuke." The corners of Iruka's mouth pulled down a little at the memory. "Did you ever hear from him again?"

"Huh? Sasuke?" Naruto floundered momentarily.

"Actually yes, Naruto knows Sasuke very, very well," Haku interjected, managing to get a word into Naruto's stream of almost constant conversation. Naruto shot him a glare which was met with a sweet smile.

"Don't mind him, ever since he cut his hair, he's been stupid," Naruto said. "In fact, Haku _works_ for Sasuke now."

"Really? In what capacity?" Iruka asked, captivated by this unexpected twist. Haku looked slightly embarrassed at the attention.

"I don't _really_," Haku deliberated. "Just now and then when he needs me to stand in as a secretary or something."

"I see," Iruka said in a manner that suggested he didn't. "That's great. I'm sure the company is going through some changes, after the family scandal and his uncle being charged.."

Naruto looked blank for a minute before snapping to attention. "Oh yes, poor, poor Itachi." When Iruka gave him a confused look he turned to Haku pleadingly.

"You mean Sasuke," Haku suggested.

"Yes. Sasuke. Poor, poor Sasuke," Naruto adjusted hastily. He found the court case complicated but comprehensible. The confusion came from trying to remember what the public thought, and what was the truth.

"I'm sure he was upset," Iruka commented. "You two are close, then?"

"Very very upset, and um, yes, kinda close," Naruto said munching on another biscuit to avoid conversation and then licking the chocolate off his fingertips where it had melted.

"It's just incredible to see you two," Iruka said again, beaming at them.

"It's great to see you too, Mr Umino," Haku replied politely with a sincere smile, ignoring the way the child on his lap kept tugging at his now short hair. In the armchair, Naruto made a loud noise of agreement.

"So, like, where did you guys _go_?" Inari wanted to know, trying to look uninterested but unable to keep his questions to himself. "People run away all the time, but you two are the only ones that didn't come back within two weeks."

"Uh, we went to... a couple of places, sort of, around," Naruto said awkwardly, looking at Haku for help.

"It was a bad, bad idea," Haku said seriously. "Don't try it. We were incredibly lucky." Inari and Konohamaru exchanged glances but didn't look entirely convinced.

"It seems pretty exciting, a lot must have happened," Inari prodded, trying to get more details.

"No, not really," Naruto said, forcing his voice to a normal pitch. "Just normal stuff. Normal, boring stuff."

-

"You have to visit again," Iruka insisted as they were leaving, Haku having to check up on the shop before it shut. "The kids loved seeing you and there are so many questions I still have to ask."

"We'll definitely come again," Naruto declared firmly, glancing up from where he was crouched, practicing a complicated handshake with a six year old.

"I'll be offended if you don't," Iruka joked, engulfing Naruto in a tight hug as he stood up. They waved goodbye a final time before closing the door and walking down the drive.

"Whoaaa, too weird," Naruto said as they turned onto the main street that was so familiar to them. "First Mr Umino works at the home, then Inari's a teenager? When did _that_ happen?"

"Probably while we were learning how to make margaritas," Haku suggested, falling into step.

"I guess," Naruto nodded absently. "Hey," he elbowed Haku in the stomach. "What was with all the 'Naruto and Sasuke are soooooo close' comments, huh?"

Haku snickered slightly, his eyes playful. "Well you are, if the conversation I overheard last night was any indication."

"The- what conversation?" Naruto looked alarmed, making Haku laugh again.

"The one you two were having in your bedroom. Some sort of argument about someone biting too hard?" Naruto coloured. "But don't worry, I left before the make-up sex."

Naruto made a strange, strangled sort of noise, as though he couldn't decide if he ought to be embarrassed or angry. He settled for huffing and walking at a slightly faster pace. "I can't believe you heard that..."

"Sorry," Haku offered, his tone shifting the conversation. "I know it must be annoying for you. You want privacy with Sasuke, and I'm always hanging around your flat."

"No _way_! It's not like we can't hang out at _his_ place. And it's _our_ flat anyway," Naruto insisted. "Just like we used to talk about when we lived back there." He waved a hand in the direction they had come in.

"Actually we were going to live in a mansion with a budgie," Haku corrected. "Not me intruding in your flat which really is only big enough for one person, because I'm too much of a coward to live in my own."

"Haku..." Naruto paused in his stride and then carried on, looking earnestly at his friend. "It'll take time."

"There's been time," a frown appeared on Haku's brow. "And I haven't even managed to step foot in there."

"There's no rush," Naruto said. "And if you really can't stand it, you could just move out."

"Which would require actually going in and packing up ou- my stuff," Haku said, not bothering to disguise the depression that crept into his voice.

"No rush," Naruto repeated. Sensing that he wasn't going to be able to fully convince his friend, Naruto settled for changing the topic. "So what's with the hair?"

"What about it?" Haku asked a little nervously, brushing the top of his now short hair with his left hand.

"Nothing," Naruto said with affected nonchalance. "Only I thought long hair was your thing. And short hair was my thing."

"Lots of people have short hair," Haku said uncertainly, not sure if Naruto was making a joke but fairly sure he wasn't being serious. They had walked away from the residential area and were getting closer to the inner city.

"Yeah, but you had long hair," Naruto's tone was of someone imparting extremely important information.

"And now I have short hair," Haku supplied.

"It feels like you're trying to get in on my look," Naruto announced a little haughtily, tossing his head.

Haku forced back a chuckle, his eyes bright with repressed laughter. "Your look?"

"Yes, my trademark look. The, I-just-got-out-of-bed-after-a-night-you-w

ouldn't-believe look," Naruto elaborated as they crossed a street.

"I'm not trying to copy your look," Haku said appeasingly. "For one thing I actually brush my hair."

"Hey, I brush mine!" Naruto patted his hair affectionately. "Besides, this kind of perfection comes naturally to me."

"Truly, you are blessed," Haku intoned seriously, his expression breaking when Naruto started laughing.

"You can be such a freak sometimes," Naruto said through a snicker. Haku tried to toss his hair arrogantly but his new haircut was less accommodating and the abortive motion just set Naruto off laughing again.

"If you don't stop laughing at me, I'm going to tell Sasuke that a five year old Inari was better at making jigsaw puzzles than you."

"Aww, hey no, don't do that-"


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**AN:** Beta'd by my one true beta, Frickative.

Epilogue Number Three! Thanks for all the reviews, I loved reading them :)

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

**Into The Woods**

"Just to clarify, is this the cold shoulder?"

No answer.

"Or am I in the doghouse?"

No answer.

"And why is it the doghouse? I understand the visual imagery, but given the angry sentiment behind such a situation, one would think that a more aggressive or violent metaphor would be used-" Sai's trail of thought was cut off as he abruptly found himself grabbed by the collar of his teeshirt and shoved against the wall of the elevator which shook slightly at the impact.

"Are you calling me violent?" Sakura asked, green eyes narrowed to slits. That really had been what he was saying, but through survival instinct or the fact that Sakura's death grip on his collar was cutting off his airway, Sai decided not to mention it.

His silence was taken as the negative, which was fortunous, since although Sai had managed to avoid serious injury so far that day, he had grown rather twitchy from having to avoid various heavy flying objects. Sakura, it seemed, was able to lift things that the laws of physics, and Sai's will to avoid concussion, insisted she shouldn't. "Good." Sai found himself back on the floor and presented with a view of his girlfriend's back as she walked up the stairs ahead of him. He dutifully let his eyes slide lower for a second before skipping up a few steps to catch up with her.

"You know, what just happened demonstrates the concept of irony very well," Sai began conversationally, stopping abruptly when faced with a clenched fist inches from his face and clearly shaking with the restraint necessary to resist removing the distance.

"Okay, here is what we are going to do," Sakura said briskly, taking a steadying breath but not lowering her fist. The pearly pink she'd used on her nails suddenly looked rather threatening. "You are going to stop talking, and I am not going to maim you. We are going to go visit Naruto and Sasuke. It is going to be a lovely evening." The last few words were emphasised as Sakura's fist edged closer. "Understand?"

Sai nodded. The fist was lowered.

-

"I'm opening the door, I hope you're decent," Sakura called through the wood as she inserted the little brass key and turned it, pushing the door open. Sai followed dutifully keeping silent.

There was a muffled thump and the bedroom door flew open to reveal Naruto, pulling on a shirt and beaming as he bounced over to them. "Hey! Guys! You're early!"

"No, they're on time," Sasuke said, emerging after him from the bedroom and closing the door behind him. "You're just useless at keeping track of time."

"Shut up," Naruto returned swiftly. "I'm going to start Asshole Tax. That's where you have to give me money everytime you're an ass," Naruto told him, adding as he released Sakura from a hug "I've been thinking about it for a while actually." He moved on to Sai who remained awkward as a board throughout the embrace.

"Then I'm going to start Idiot Tax where you have to pay me whenever you're an idiot," Sasuke countered, nodding at the guests and heading to the kitchenette.

"I think you're on to something there," Sakura said thoughtfully, taking a seat at the counter and dropping her handbag and a plastic bag she had carried to the floor.

"Sai? Dude, hey?" Naruto waved a hand in front of Sai's face and then looked at Sakura curiously. "I think he's broken- what did you do to him?"

Rolling her eyes, Sakura sighed. "You can talk now."

Instead of speaking, Sai looked at her consideringly before turning to Naruto and miming something that made Naruto nod and rummage in a drawer, producing a pad of paper and a pen that Sai accepted gratefully. He scribbled something and passed it to Naruto who read out loud. "'Will you maim me if I speak?'" He raised an eyebrow at Sakura who remained unrepentant.

"Will you say anything that will make it necessary for me to maim you?" she asked. Sai seemed to give this some thought before writing something else and passing it to Naruto.

"'I will endeavor to avoid saying anything that would merit maiming,'" Naruto read, then looked up in confusion. "What does maim actually mean? I mean, I know it's something violent, but what _specifically_?"

"You can talk then," Sakura allowed graciously.

"'Maim; a verb. To injure, disable, or disfigure, usually by depriving the use of a limb or other part of the body,'" Sai quoted dutifully.

As Sasuke returned with glasses and a bottle of red wine that he set on the counter, Naruto gave Sai a serious look. "I think it's better when you talk." He turned to Sakura, "what'd he do this time?"

Instead of answering, Sakura accepted the glass Sasuke offered her and looked meaningfully at Sai who said: "I asked her if the reason she used to keep her hair long was to make up for her somewhat androgynous teenage appearance."

Naruto hissed sympathetically while Sasuke snorted. Rather than show any emotion, Sakura remained poker faced as she continued. "And then what did you do?"

"Then I made a slight comparison between your body shape and Haku's," Sai informed them, before adding helpfully: "You became enraged."

Snorting on a sip of his wine, Naruto started choking and Sasuke had to thump him on the back, perhaps with a little more force than strictly necessary. "Imagine that," Sakura continued with mock incredulity.

"I don't understand why you're angry though, Sakura," Sai said. "You know that I'm well acquainted with the fact that you are a woman. I was merely making an observation."

"I would prefer it if you could be more selective with what you observe," Sakura gritted out, draining her glass and snatching the offered bottle from Sasuke who watched, eyes glittering with amusement.

"And that is why I'm in the doghouse," Sai finished sadly, taking a seat at the kitchen table with Naruto who looked at him seriously.

"Dude, you're going about this all wrong," Naruto said, eyebrows pulled together in concern. "My advice: forget about this 'doghouse' thing and skip straight to the make-up sex." Before anyone could speak, he continued. "You didn't have to rush here, we would have waited."

Sakura coughed politely into her fist. "Ahem. While I'm sure you would have, we were in a rush." She bit her lip thoughtfully, eyes glancing from Sai to Sasuke who was refilling his own glass.

"You drink too much," Naruto commented, still on his first glass since even though Sasuke insisted this was 'the good stuff,' Naruto still wasn't sure about the taste.

"I wonder why," Sasuke muttered, but set his glass down without drinking and nodded at Sakura. "You were saying?"

"Well..." Sakura drawled out before deciding and facing Naruto, a steely look in her eyes. "Remember last month when I told you Haku had won a weekend at a health spa in the weekly hospital lottery?"

"Yeah," Naruto said eagerly. "You said you could enter me too because I was in the hospital for a while." Sasuke rubbed his temples.

"Um. Yes," Sakura said, biting her lip to surpress wild laughter which at this point would be entirely inappropriate.

"What about it?"

"That was a lie," Sakura admitted, straight faced.

"What?!" Naruto shouted, making Sasuke wince and shove him, covering his ear with his other hand. "You didn't enter me?"

"No. I mean yes, I didn't enter you, but that's not what I mean," Sakura said, trying to tactfully. "There _is_ no monthly hospital lottery."

"Then how did Haku go to the health spa?" Naruto wanted to know.

"He didn't go to the health spa, he had his operation," Sakura said, the words coming out in a rush as she bit her lip, observing Naruto's reaction.

"But he said his operation wasn't scheduled until next month- you mean it was _this_ month?" Naruto exclaimed, appalled. "Hey," he pointed an accusing finger at Sakura. "Why didn't _you_ tell me?"

She held her hands up placatingly, although one was still holding her wine glass. "He didn't want you to kill yourself worrying when it was a routine procedure, so he made us promise not to tell you."

"He had his- then what happened? Is he okay? Did it go alright? Can we go to the hospital now?" Naruto jumped to his feet, looking wildly around the room for his things.

"He's completely _fine_," Sakura reassured him, "but you can't go to the hospital now, visiting hours are long over. He's probably asleep anyway. I'll let you know when he'll wake up."

"It's too late?" Naruto looked devastated. "Then why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Naruto..." Sakura sighed, looking desperately at Sai and Sasuke for help. "Are you listening to me? Haku didn't want you to worry, so he made us promise not to tell you. That's why I made up the story about the hospital lottery."

"Wait, you said 'us' not 'me!'" Naruto said, turning on Sasuke and Sai. "Traitors!"

Sai shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry Naruto, but sometimes a certain level of deceit is necessary. Haku just didn't want you to worry. That's why he made us promise not to tell and asked Sasuke to distract you."

"Distract me?!" Naruto glared at Sasuke who ignored him. "So you mean all that in there," Naruto waved in the direction of the bedroom, "was you _distracting_ me?"

Sasuke smirked. "Worked pretty well."

"Asshole tax!" Naruto insisted before turning back to Sakura. "But he's fine? You're sure he's fine? A hundred percent fine?"

"We stopped by the hospital on the way over and he seems fine as far as we can tell right now," Sakura said, then hesitated. "Actually, he had the operation two days ago. He'll probably be out tomorrow."

Sasuke leaned over to close Naruto's mouth, but could do nothing about the bewildered expression that had arrested his features so settled back in his chair. "Snap out of it, idiot."

"Asshole tax!" Naruto snapped again, looking around in disbelief. "You guys..."

"Sorry," Sai offered, "but at least this way you wont get stress-induced wrinkles. Botox is still medically unfavourable." Sakura shot Naruto and Sasuke an apologetic look.

"Are you _sure_ we can't go to see him now?" Naruto asked, giving Sakura an imploring look.

"I'm very sure. Just relax, wait until tomorrow." Naruto pouted but settled back in his chair, resigned. Sakura lifted the plastic bag to the table. "He did ask me to buy something to cheer you up."

"Ramen?" Naruto perked up immediately, watching with rapt attention as Sakura emptied the bag.

"Ice cream," Sakura corrected him, presenting the carton. "It's a little melted, but still good.

"I'll get bowls," Sasuke said, standing and then pausing when Sakura pushed him back down.

"I'll do it, come on Sai," she instructed, nodding pleased when Sai stood. "They're in the same place?"

"Yeah, next to the sink."

In the kitchenette she opened the cupboard and withdrew a few bowls, motioning Sai to the cutlery drawer. "Right hand side."

"How do I get out of the dog house," Sai asked, sliding open the drawer. "Is there a method? Can someone get me out or do I have do it myself?"

"You just have to treat me very nicely until I feel like letting you out." Sakura produced four black bowls and placed them on the counter.

"Sexually?" Sai queried, only to be met with a snort from Sakura.

"Che, you should be so lucky," she muttered, walking past, two bowls in each hand which she set on the table in front of Naruto and Sasuke. "Are you getting the spoons or not?"

"There aren't any," Sai said. "Should we use forks instead?"

"How can there not be any spoons?" Sakura asked, her face twisting in confusion. She addressed Naruto and Sasuke: "What did you do with them?"

Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, Naruto looked to the side, blushing a little, leaving Sasuke to answer.

"We had to throw them out. You don't want to know," he said seriously. Sakura nodded.

"Right...Well there used to be a pack of plastic spoons at the back of the drawer that we can use," she said, giving her friends a slightly worried look. "Get those."

"Okay," Sai agreed happily, turning his back on the other occupants of the apartment to rummage at the back of the drawer. His fingers closed on something and he pulled at it, frowning as it caught and had to be wriggled free.

Sai blinked.

In his hand, along with the pack of plastic spoons Sakura had promised, was a familiar looking roll of film. Of course, it was impossible to know for sure without seeing the contents, but Sai had a feeling he knew what images would be revealed if the film was developed.

"Did you find them?" Sakura asked, suddenly standing next to him. She leaned over his shoulder and looked at what he was holding. "What's that?" Behind them, Naruto and Sasuke had started bickering again.

Sai gave her a little smile, dropping it back into the drawer "Nothing." He pushed it shut and held up the spoons. "I found them, and you have a beautiful, incredibly feminine figure. Now can I come out of the doghouse?"

Rolling her eyes, Sakura turned her head a little, leaning forward to press a quick kiss against his lips. "Let me eat your share of ice cream. Then we'll talk."


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer:** This story is sixty percent my beta, ten percent me, and thirty percent anything I have ever read. I take no credit.

**Warnings:** This is a narusasu/sasunaru fic. There will be het and focus on other characters as well. There will be death, sex, violence, drugs, profanity and mime. Enjoy.

**AN: **This is the final epilogue and the last part of the story. As suchI'd like to say thanks to a few people, without whom this story would have been very different.

First and foremost, my incredible beta, Frickative . 'Lissa, I can't believe you read through 30,000 words of a fandom you didn't even know. Although I suppose when you agreed you had no idea how many typos I would make XD. But seriously. You've sat through The Young Man, Playboy!Sasuke, Tax Evading Kisame and The Worst Business Plan Ever. I couldn't have written this without you.

Next, Hedonistic Opportunist, who probably is reading this before reading the whole thing. Hedo-chan, thank you for giving me the courage to dip my toe in the Naruto fandom. You were so nice to me when I was just one of your crazy fans, rambling on about how much I loved your stories.

The readers and reviewers of The Boy In The Photograph provided great motivation, since I was posting that while writing ITTW, and made me feel really welcomed.

And finally the people that left reviews for this story. From the page long comments to the random confessions of love, I loved them all and they made posting this story a really enjoyable experience. _Thank you_.

**AN2: **To the reviewer who today reviewed me, suggesting this story is very similar to The Bridge I Crossed. You made me laugh, because TBIC was one of the biggest inspirers of this fic. However, my story is vastly inferior to that masterpiece.

**AN3 17/06/12: **There was originally a vague idea that I might write a sequel, but I really can't see it happening. Sorry to anyone who was hoping for more! I hope you can find something else good to read.

**Into The Woods  
**

The front door slamming shut announced Karin's return home.

"Good day?" Suigestu called, not moving from the armchair he was sprawled across, his legs flung over one arm of it, and his back leaning against the other. Unconventional, perhaps, but comfortable.

"Fucking brilliant," Karin growled, walking into the living room and collapsing on the sofa opposite him, dropping her handbag and kicking her heels off (they were the red peep-toe ones that he liked) before tipping her head back with a sigh. The room was small, with a few magazines strewn across the floor and a bottle of water set next to the armchair. The beige curtains were still half closed.

Making an amused sound, Suigetsu shifted to see her properly. "That good?"

She fixed him with a thick glare. "Sasuke's new _friend_ dropped by for lunch. _Again_." She huffed, twisting her lips into a pout. "I don't know why they don't just make it official. It's so painfully obvious."

"Wow." Suigetsu whistled, trying not to grin at Karin's obvious discontent. "That's the fourth time so far this week, right?"

"Right," Karin clarified bitterly, head still tipped back as she rubbed her temples. "And that's not all. This time he brought the pink-haired ex-fiancée too. She kept giving me these _looks_, like she thinks she's better than me. Her hair is totally dyed, by the way."

"So is yours," Suigetsu returned.

Karin ignored his input, continuing. "And her newest fling is just retarded."

"Really?" Suigetsu gave her an amused look and reaching for the bottle of water resting on the floor.

"Seriously," Karin said, lips pursed angrily. "He's all 'do you realise that you have only done three buttons on your shirt?' 'It's interesting that you would choose to dress like a prostitute.'"

Suigetsu choked on a sip of water he was taking. "He said that?" Prostitute was a little harsh, in his opinion. Or at least, a classy prostitute. She was wearing smart black shorts that hardly made it to mid-thigh but made her legs look as though they went on iforever/i, along with a fitted white short-sleeved blouse underneath her tight black jacket. The heels, red lipstick and thick, black-rimmed glasses she wore completed her usual work outfit. Tired, grouchy and unreasonable as she was, Suigetsu was having a hard time keeping his eyes off her.

"Those exact words!" Karin answered, heedless of his wandering eyes. "Urg, I wanna punch him so much. And then the blond boy-toy is all apologising and they're all smiling and trying to be so goddamn nice. Makes me sick."

"Sounds horrific," Suigetsu commented, screwing the lid of his bottle back on and replacing it at his feet.

"It _is_," Karin confirmed, choosing not to acknowledge the sarcasm. "And so," she continued on her tirade, "I can't ogle Sasuke's ass, 'cause he's taken and the blond thing gets possessive. I can't ogle Itachi's ass because he had to go and _die_ and yeah, Kakashi's ass is easy on the eyes, but to go from three to one? A girl has her needs, y'know?"

"Mmm."

Noting the lack of response, Karin decided to end her complaining, feeling much better for having got it out of her system."I don't suppose you did anything productive with your day?" she asked, rolling her eyes and standing up when she didn't receive an answer immediately. "Thought not." Abandoning her shoes, she walked down the short hallway swinging her hips slightly. In the bedroom she wrinkled her nose in distaste as she noticed the unmade bed. "Would it kill you to do some chores?" she called, walking to the side of the king sized bed and starting to pull the silk sheets straight. "You never make the bed."

Having walked in behind her, leaning against the doorframe, Suigetsu took a moment too appreciate her figure as she stretched to smooth out some creases. He wouldn't make the bed because when Karin came home, she would make it. And those hot pants that she somehow got away with wearing to the office made her legs look utterly- "Gorgeous."

Straightening from fluffing a pillow, Karin half turned and gave him a quizzical look. "What?"

"I think the prostitute comment has some basis, actually," he said instead, earning himself a pillow slung at his face which he dodged lazily, hardly moving from his position.

"Men," she muttered in disgust, "you're all such idiots." She stalked past him, retrieving the pillow and finishing with the bed before flopping back onto it. "And I was wearing my good underwear today. Such a waste."

"The red lace?" Suigetsu enquired crawling onto the bed next to her.

She shook her head slightly. "The black silk."

Suigetsu sighed knowingly, falling back and crumpling the just straightened sheets. "Aah. Well if it helps, your boobs look great today."

Seemingly torn between outrage and flattery, Karin settled for sighing, another pout set on her carefully painted lips. "I thought so too." She sat up. "Do you want to go out tonight?"

"Can't, I'm meeting someone," Suigetsu said rolling off the bed and stretching obnoxiously. "I'm _this_ close to finding out who killed Zabuza."

"Still on that?" Karin asked with a huff, silently asking the heavens why she was surrounded by males who consistently failed to appreciate her. She stretched a hand above her head and twisted her wrist idly. "Why bother? It's not like it matters whether or not you avenge him."

"You wouldn't get it," Suigetsu said, ignoring her. "Besides, I know Orochimaru wants to find out, and no fucking way am I letting him contaminate this. That man's poison."

"Who says there's no honour among thieves," Karin asked no one in particular. "I wish you'd actually get a job."

"When I stop paying my side of the rent, you can complain about me not having a job, yeah?" Sugietsu said flatly. He glanced at her, sensing her disinterest but unable to resist discussion. "I just know that if I could find those two lackeys that used to follow him around, I'd work it out. They must have something to do with it."

"Then find them already," Karin said, sitting on the end of the bed and brushing out her long red hair. "Or did they skip town?"

Suigetsu shook his head. "Nah, they've been seen a couple of times, but no one's managed to pin them down yet. Not that I'd expect it to be easy. They worked under Zabuza, y'know."

"Uh huh," Karin drawled, bored. "Maybe you should leave an ad in the classified section. 'Male, twenty one, seeks Zabuza's fanboys for information and maybe murder.'" She held up a split end and glared at it.

"Hilarious," Suigetsu sneered. "Just because your boss wouldn't do you if you broke into his apartment and sat on a piano wearing stilettos and a smile, and yet happily made out with me for half an hour, doesn't mean you have to be such a bitch."

"That is so not true," Karin insisted, deadly serious. "No one, no matter _how_ gay, could resist me in stilettos." Despite her words, she looked a little wounded. The aforementioned incident was still a sore spot in their relationship, though Suigetsu would testify that it had done wonders for their sex life. Not that that particular aspect had really needed any additional aid in the first place.

"I know what will take your mind off Sasuke and his gayness," Suigetsu said in a moment of weakness. He opened a drawer and produced a thick brown envelope he threw on the bed. "Those photos you sent off to get printed arrived in the mail this morning."

Letting out a squeal of glee, Karin pounced on the envelope and ripped it open, pulling out the printed photographs and staring at them. "Finally!" she breathed. "Do you know how hard it was for me to take these? I had to hide the camera in my bra."

"So now you can mount them on red paper hearts or make little finger puppets with them or whatever crap you want them for," Suigetsu said, already regretting giving her the package. "You know that's really creepy, right?"

"Fuck you," Karin replied sweetly, not taking her eyes off the photos that she was flipping through, commenting as she did so. "Gorgeous, gorgeous, incredibly sexy, how does he get his eyes to smoulder like that? Gorgeous- Urg. How did that get in there?" She held up the offending photograph and tossed it onto the bed as though its existence disgusted her.

"You're so…" Suigetsu trailed off, picking up the photo and looking at it curiously. "What's this?"

"Hmm?" Karin glanced up from the photos. "It's just Sasuke's stupid boyfriend. I don't know how he got in the photo." When Suigetsu said nothing, she frowned. "Why? Do you know him? I was going to tear it up…"

"What did you say his name was?" Suigetsu asked, distracted.

"Uhm, something stupid," Karin said, struggling to remember. "I can find out, if you want," she offered warily.

"Yeah, do that," Suigetsu instructed. Seeing that Karin was about to protest, not liking to be bossed around, he amended, "please. And we can go out tonight. Somewhere nice, yeah?"

"We can?" Karin asked, her eyes lighting up. "A club?"

"Sure, if you like."

"I thought you had to meet someone," Karin said, letting Suigetsu loop an arm around her waist and pull her close all the same.

"Forget about that," Suigetsu said, placing the photograph carefully on the bedside table and letting his fingers find the three buttons that were still done up on her shirt. "I think we're going to do fine on our own."

**THE END**


End file.
